A Dream Lived and Lost
by noyz22
Summary: Julianna, or Jewls as she'd prefer, hated boredom. It ruled her life in an inescapable grip until one day she found a necklace that launched her into a world she'd only read about. Will she be able to go home? Will she even want to? PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Ch 1 Life As I New It

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**Alright! Here is chapter one! Please, please, PLEASE let me know what u think! and no, this isnt a story about vampires! I know, I know, its under vampire, but that's only because it's an origional as well and there wasn't anything labeled "Girl gets sucked into another world and goes through some crazy crap" so...HOPE YOU LIKE IT!**

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CH. 1

A lot of girls would start a story about themselves with "Hi! My name is Julianna, but you can call me Jewls! My life is fun and full of hanging out with friends and shopping and all kinds of girly stuff!"

I'm not a lot of girls. No, I was just another 18 year old trying hard to get through my last year of highschool all on my own. Every day was the same routine. I got up, brushed my teeth and the tangle of black that is my too long hair, stared at my almond eyes reflected at me for a few minutes, walked to school, swallowed what little knowledge there is to be found there, and came back home.

That had been my life for two years. Ever since my mother died. She'd always been the one with the ideas, the little plans to brighten the day. After the plane crash, I used the money she left me in her will to give her the buriel she deserved. I even had enough to cover her coffin in tiger lillies, our favorite flower. I kept one and pressed it between the pages of the biggest book in the house, which happened to be the seventh Harry Potter book. I had an uncle somerwhere in Canada, but I refused to go to him and instead asked him to sign my emancipation forms. He did so immediately, obviously glad to be rid of me. Within three weeks, I was legally my own woman.

I didn't have any friends. Actually, that's not true. I had two, my mother and Jamie. Jamie didn't call, or text, or even say hi in the hallways, but he was a friend. My only living friend then. Do you want to know how? He let me talk to him during fifth period, Chemistry. He never replied aside from "uh-huh" and "mmn" at the right times, but I did't even need that much. Once a day, five days a week, I could relieve myself of all my pain and loneliness and just plain boredom. I told him how empty the house that she'd left to me felt and how much I hated not being tall enough to dust the top of the bookshelves. I told him about the leaky corner in the living room, how I still couldn't make myself go into her room, why I was always braiding and rebriading my hair (It's a nervous habit), and he listened to it all without judgement. I could never tell if he ever really heard what I was saying or what he was thinking of me if he did, but that didn't matter either. He kept me from insanity.

Now, Jamie was the most popular boy in the school. A black-haired, green-eyed, tennis star hotty that always has a small group of girls trailing behind him letting out sighs of longing. I was never one of those girls before my mother passed, which is one of very few things that didn't change when she did. Of course, you wouldn't believe it if you asked his self-proclaimed girlfriend Tammy. She'll tell anyone who'll listen that I'm constantly trying to muscle in on "her man" and am made of pure boyfriend-stealing evil. I don't even bother denying it anymore and have actually started waving and smiling at Jamie when she's within sight just to share an inner laugh at her furious expression. He even waved back once, which sent her into such histerics that she attacked me. Being the first real break from my one track life in months, I went a little over board, giving her a black eye and broken lip, but I refused to apologize. I didn't even get punished, as there was a teacher present who testified that I was defending myself. That was the first day that Jamie spoke to me.

"You really hurt her, you know." He commented, looking me in the eyes for the first time since he gave me a greeting nod as he sat down. I stopped halfway through my description of how hard it was to reach that one itchy spot in the middle of my back and stared at him with wide eyes. A moment later, mercifully, I regained my composure and answered honestly.

"She'd hurt me every day if she thought she could get away with it." It wasn't meant as a jibe towards her, but a statement of my assessment of her charactor. Jamie nodded, his eyes still trained on mine, then touched the long scratch she'd carved into my forehead with her nails.

"She did." He said, and it was my turn to nod and shrug.

"Doesn't hurt, and I was asking for it anyway." I replied and, without really being able to help it, continued, "She's so convinced I'm trying to steal your heart away. I got a little fed up with it and waved at you earlier just to piss her off. She just doesn't understand that I don't know _how _to steal a guy's heart and don't want to regardless. You're my freedom, that's all. You let me get rid of all those things that try to overwhelm me. I've never thanked you for that, have I? Thank you, Jamie. Whether you've heard a single thing I've said all this time or not doesn't matter. Thank you." I had to breathe then and forced my mouth to stop moving. I'd grown so used to speaking what was on my mind to him that I didn't know how not to anymore.

"You're welcome, Jewls." Was his simple reply before he flashed me a grin. This grin wasn't his trade mark watch-me-dazzle grin that he gave the audience at a tennis match or the calmy tolerant one he gave to the girls that followed him around. This was a grin devoid of pretences, of fakeness. It took my breath away. _He knows my name. He was actually listening!_ For once, I didn't have anything to say, and I spent the rest of the period in silence. Perhaps I wasn't as empty as I thought I was. That night I sent a prayer to mom asking her advice and promising her I would work harder to be happy without her there.

Three months later, I was still far from fulfilling that promise, but I was making snail fast progress. My routine had become a little less routine. I read now, cooked instead of ordering out, even watched a little tv. It had been a full year since mom's death, and things were slowly, slowly, getting barible. Jamie still listened to me every day, but now he interjected every now and then to offer advice on this or that and even came over one afternoon and fixed the leak in the corner. Tammy almost attacked me again when she found out about that one, but Jamie himself stopped her. Right there in the hallway he explained to her that she was taking her obsession with him too far and that I was simply and only a friend. She pouted for three full days before she gave up and joined the group of followers. She still glared at me whenever the chance was given, though.

Back to the present.

The last year has been the most amazing, terrifying, _hardest_ times of my life, and I look forward to what else might be in store. Now that you know the basics of my life, I'll start on the day it all happened.

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_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

My alarm rang at me, cutting through my dreams. I blinked, raised a hand to rub away the sleepy goo in my eyes, and sat up wearily. I'd stayed up too late reading again. The still open book lay beside me on the pillow. I sighed and picked it up, placing my bookmark between the places before setting it on my night stand and lifting myself to my feet. Today was going to be one of those days. A knock at my door startled me from my brooding. No one had actually knocked on my door since Jamie had come to fix the ceiling months ago.

With a mixture of curiousity and wariness, I left my room and made the two turns necessary to get to the front door and looked through the peep-hole. It was Jamie, much to my relief and dissapointment.

"Yeah?" I asked as I opened the door for him. It was hard to be my usuall chatty self while standing in a door way during winter in nothing but pajamas.

"I brought you something." He answered, offering me the wal-mart bag in his hands that I had only just then noticed. I took it and pulled out its contents, set to give it back no matter what. I forgot all about that, though, when I saw what it was. A jacket. A really good one, too. Thick fake fur lined the insides, even the sleeves and hood, and the outside was a chaotic mixture of black, green, and purple. It was simply perfect.

"You said yesterday that you were too busy paying bills to get one yourself." Jamie offered by way of explanation. That was Jamie, so kind, so practical. I shook my head, at a loss for words, and beamed at him.

"I'll...I'll be right back, ok? You can come in and get comfortable if you like." I finally managed after several moments. He shrugged and walked inside, taking the seat by the tv. "You're going to spoil me, Jamie." I accused him as I returned to the living room a few minutes later wearing clean clothes and the new jacket.

"Good." He grunted, nodding in approval of my appearance. I shook my head at him and rolled my eyes. Jamie never said much, but what he did say was worth hearing, but you wouldn't catch me saying that to _him. _

Standing, Jamie glanced at his watch and said it was time we got to school. I agreed and gathered my things, ready to walk as usual, but Jamie would have none of that and grunted that he hadn't come here in his car just to drive past while I walked in the cold. I laughed at his indignat expression and allowed my only friend to shower me with just a bit more kindness.

That was my first mistake. Forgetting about her obsession.

I could sense something wasn't right the moment we arrived, and I spotted Tammy near the school entrance with a particularly murderous glare aimed my way. I sighed, glad that at least my morning had been wonderful, and braced myself for her relentless hate. I never understood why Jamie didn't tell her she wasn't his girlfriend like he told her to back off so many months ago, but that was his business. My bet was that he liked the relatively girl-free time he had thanks to her death threating all the girls with crushes on him. I hoped that one day one of those girls would grow some bravery and talk to him anyway, because that boy needed someone in his life other than me who treated him like a human being. He needed a real girlfriend _bad, _but no one had the guts. Once I'd even thought of asking him out myself, but immediately cast the thought away, laughing out loud at the idea. Jamie was my big, doting brother, plain and simple.

"You've gone to far, pig." Tammy hissed in my ear as I was swapping school books in my locker.

"And what, may I ask, have I done that has gone too far?" I asked through gritted teeth, turning to match her glare.

"As if you don't already know! Jamie is _mine, _and stealing rides from him to school is just pathetic!" She sneered, catching my jacket in her manicured claws. I narrowed my eyes, feeling my anger start to rise.

"Let. Go. Now." I spat at her, every nerve in my body humming with barely contained fury. I'd been trying to get enough extra money for a jacket for weeks. I was _not_ letting her mess with this one. Something resembling fear flashed in her eyes, and her grip loosened. I took the opportunity to shove her away, grap the book I'd been searching for, and walk past her into class. If I hadn't left right that moment she would have been on the ground. I hate violence. The sight of blood freaks me out. I can barely stand arguing half the time, but that girl, Tammy Shell, pissed me off so much I didn't care! Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it, sinse she shared this class period with me. A note bounced off my forehead just as the first bell rang.

"You'll get yours." Was all it said. I crumpled it up and threw it back, pegging her in the back of the head.

That was my second mistake. Adding fuel to the fire.

The day went by in a blur after that. I didn't even get to talk to Jamie much during fifth period because we were watching a documentory on Isaac Newton. Before I knew what was happening, the bell was ringing for the end of eight period. I blinked and looked around myself slowly in confusion. _Well, then..._ It took me longer than usual to get ready to go home another twenty minutes of arguing to convince Jamie to let me walk home. It was my only real exercise after all.

That was my third mistake. Not getting home in time to catch her at my house.

When I finally made it to my house, there was a small bag hanging from the front door's knob. I stared at it with the same mixture of feelings I'd had this morning before I knew it was Jamie at the door before opening it and peeking inside. From what I could tell, it was a simple necklace made of some sort of raw twine with a large purple stone hanging from it. Or was the stone pink? Green? The longer I stood there looking at it, the less sure of its color I became, until I couldn't take it anymore and reached my hand inside to pull it out for closer inspection.

That was my final mistake. Being idiot enough to touch the strange piece of jewelry hanging from my front door.

Darkness swallowed me before I could even pull my hand out of the bag, slamming into me like a brick wall and forcing me into unconciousness.

I knew nothing, felt nothing, was nothing.

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**What do you guys think? what what whaaaat? please PLEASE let me know your EXACT feelings! please? pleeeaaseee?**


	2. Ch 2 I'm Not in Kansas Anymore

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**Ok! As im sure you could all see, that was definitely not as good as I hope my other work is written, as it was not as defined in details and form. it will come together as I go along, much as my first story did. gah! the first 5 chaps of that! *shutters* **

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**Ch. 2**

The first thought that crossed my mind was how uncomfortable my bed seemed that morning. Half conscious and drifting in a fog, I squirmed around in an attempt to soften my too hard mattress. After several moments of this, I started to realize that something wasn't right. My slow moving mind clung to that revelation, using it as leverage as it pulled itself from the hold of the fog into reality. Now that I had a reason to, waking up took only a minute or so longer. I regretted it almost instantly because with my consciousness came an aching that stretched the entire length of my body. I moaned and shook my head, determined to continue. It became quickly clear that I was lying on none other than hard-packed earth. Shocked by this new piece of information, I forced my eyes open and willed my pained body to bend upwards into a sitting position.

That was when the first tendril of fear slithered its oily way into my heart.

I _was_ in a forest, no, a jungle. Trees taller than I ever thought possible grew thickly on all sides of me, their canopies so entwined that only tiny pockets of green-tinted sunlight managed to make it all the way to the ground where I was sitting. I swallowed, dizzy, and forced my gaze away from the sky, choosing instead to study my immediate surroundings. I was seated on a patch of clean dirt just big enough for me to lay straight without touching any tree trunks, but not big enough to offer very many other positions. If I'd been more myself and less terrified, I would have wondered how I'd managed to land on the only bare patch of ground for God knew how far. Instead, I pulled my knees to my chest and hugged myself, twitching and whirling my head around at every sound I didn't make and some that I did.

_I'd like to pause the telling of this story here for one moment in order to explain why I didn't question that what was happening was reality. You see, I'd had the same dream every night since my mother's death. Every night I relived the day she died and had to watch without the power to save her. So, in short, if I wasn't having that dream, I must not have been sleeping. Perhaps it doesn't make much sense, but that was what I believed at the time. Knowing that I could in fact die, that I wouldn't wake up before something bad happened to me, __saved my life in the beginning. I will continue now. Where was I? Oh, yes._

For what seemed like a long, long time I stayed that way, but the need to relieve myself eventually took precedence over my misgivings. Taking a deep breath for courage, I stood on shaky legs and carefully moved around the nearest tree and did my business a reasonable distance from my little patch of safety. I had just finished rebuttoning my pants when I heard the heavy footsteps of something very large indeed approaching. I froze in place, hardly able to breathe for fear whatever had just paused at the edge of the clearing opposite me would hear it. To my intense relief, I was hidden intirely by the wide tree in front of me.

"She's not here!" A deep, gruff voice growled into the air. I shoke, tears coming to my eyes at what a man with a voice like that could want with me. A second pair of feet came into earshot and stopped at a spot I roughly judged to be beside the first man. These tread more lightly and seemed to hold more grace than the other. I instantly decided that whomever they belonged to was the most formidable of the two. (_I'd read enough adventure stories to know that it was the smaller ones that were the real threat to your life._)

"It can't have gone far. The creature has only been here an hour or so. There's no helping it. If we don't go and fetch it our lord will have our heads. Come, Grudge." The second voice was softer and had a pleasant lilt to it. It was the voice of someone who knew how to get what they wanted. The two men left, the larger, Grudge, falling in behind the smaller, passing terrifyingly close to my hiding place as they did so. Daring to lean out a tiny bit, I caught a glimpse of the back of a huge, barrel-chested..._thing_...as it stepped out of sight. Pulling back, I stuffed my fist into my mouth to keep myself from screaming. The creature had been hulking, bulging with muscles, and covered in what could only be described as barbs. What skin had been visible through those hooks had been an ugly, mottled orange. Slinking back around the tree as quickly as I could make my rigid legs move I returned to my little clearing and collapsed. Through all my tangled thoughts and feelings, only three things were certain.

1: Where ever I was, it wasn't Earth.

2: Someone was looking for me, and I desperately didn't want to be found.

3: I had to get out of this place before those two returned.

With the last clear thought came the strength to stand again. It wasn't safe here, not while they were close at hand. Now determined and set with a purpose, I started out in the opposite direction and didn't look back. The footing became immediately difficult to navigate. Tree roots and vines littered the floor, waiting under piles of leaves to catch on my feet and throw off my balance. I'd fallen four times before an hour had past, twelve by the time the darkness of night made any further progress impossible. Covered in scrapes and more than a few bruises, I finally gave up and curled up between two particularly large roots that gave a bit of shelter from the sounds around me. I shivered, chilled dispite the warm humidity in the air. I would need to find food tomorrow if I wanted to have the strength to keep moving. Already my stamina was low.

Deciding there was nothing for it at the moment, I shifted into a more comfortable position and closed my eyes. Moonlight was filtering down by the time I drifted into the relieving hold of sleep. For the first time in years, I didn't dream.

I woke to the sound of a man's voice, demanding and urgent. Half asleep and horrified that they'd found me so soon, I screeched and flattened my back against the tree behind me while at the same time throwing up my hands in surrender. A rough hand grabbed my wrists and the cool sting of metal was pressed against my neck. My eyes finally fluttered open then, taking in the angry man crouched before me and the gleaming blade held much too close to my flesh for comfort. I swallowed, unable to find words for a long moment, then cleared my throat and forced myself to ask the most important question.

"Are you going to kill me?"

The man blinked, apparently taken aback that I had had the gall to speak, and deepened his scowl.

"Not yet," He replied, his voice surprisingly light regardless of his harsh tone."but if you don't tell me how you came to be in Elven land I will quite soon." My mouth dropped. _Elven?_

"I-I'm not sure! I woke up here!" Scared and all too willing to cooperate in order to live, I babbled out the whole story from my last memory to the current one, my eyes darting from his unchanging expression to the ever present knife at my jugular. For what seemed like an eternity but could only have been a few seconds, the man continued to glare at me; then he nodded and released me. I sighed in relief but didn't relax because the blade remained ready in his hand.

"I believe your tale as I know of the one called Grudge and his companion, Elliot, but I do not trust you." He raised his dagger then as if to emphasize his words, then continued, "You will come with me as my captive to the human city of Organ. There I will leave you. Do you understand this?"

I nodded, fully aware that I didn't have any say in the matter. This man clearly wasn't kidding around.

"Can I know your name?" I found myself asking as I stood, then clamped a hand over my mouth at my own idiocy. Knowing I wouldn't die just yet was going to my head, but the man just laughed loudly.

"Would it not be more fitting for the prisoner to offer her name first?" He inquired in an amused voice. Regardless of the still unsheathed blade in his hand, I found myself fighting a smile.

"It's Julianna." I didn't feel like offering my nickname. He _was_ going to leave me in an unknown city by myself after all.

"Darille."

"Um, pleasure to meet you?" I said, unsure of the correct response in this situation. His reply was simply more laughter, bringing from me a slightly larger smile than the first. His laugh seemed to be contagious.

He was serious again in moments, motioning for me to go first with a jerk of his head. I swallowed, fearful of what my future held now that this had happened but glad that I'd been found alive and was being taken somewhere with humans, and did as I was directed. For hours, we picked our way along in silence. Well, I picked. Darille seemed to move about with ease. Whenever the chance arised, I examined my new traveling companion. He was an elf, of that I had no doubt after a look at his rather extremely pointed ears. How I didn't notice right away could only be chalked up to the terror I'd been experiencing. His hair was so black it shown with a purple tint when he passed under the little patches of sunlight dotting our path, his features sharply edged and almost inhumanly beautiful. Of course, he wasn't human. I also came to the realization that he wasn't much older than me. 20 or 21 at most. His face was hard to look away from, but the one feature that my eyes kept returning to were his own. Their color seemed to shift and change with every second that passed. I'd be certain they were a rich brown one moment, then swear they were oceon blue the next. It was fascinating to watch.

"How long will you study me, human?" He demanded after our second stop for rest. For the record, I was the only one out of breath.

"I don't know what-" I began, embarressed that he'd noticed.

"Don't bother lying! You've been stealing glances since we began!" He interjected, indignant. I stared at my feet, unable to bring myself to state the reason. "Spit it out, girl!" He commanded, his voice turning towards anger.

"It's your eyes! I can't figure out their color!" I breathed, still unwilling to look at him. I knew he must think I was some silly human who'd jump at the chance to fall for the elf that saved her life. In truth, I found myself above those kinds of things and had trouble tolerating the girls at school who could latch their heart onto the first handsome boy that did them a kindness. I was surprised into looking up by yet another burst of merriment from him.

"Is that all? They have no set color. They change with the mood of the jungle. My kind are both individuals and part of the whole, as this place is as much us as it is its own entity." He explained. I nodded, having read enough fantasy novels to understand this, then shook my head. It felt as if I'd been thrown into one. Suddenly, my legs werent strong enough to hold me anymore and I sank to my knees. For the first time the knowledge that I may never make it home again sank into my brain. It sat there like a bag of boulders, sapping my strength, and I didn't realize I was crying until a tear landed on my limp hands.

Warm arms encircled me, pulling me close. I blinked into Darille's chest, flabbergasted that he would comfort a complete stranger in such a way. Lacking the strength of will to refuse the gesture, however, I burried my face in his shoulder and cried until the tears stopped coming. It took a long time, as I hadn't let myself cry in years. He didn't let go, though. The man that had told me point blank that he would eventually leave me to live or die, for those moments, felt closer to me than I'd ever let anyone get, not even Jamie.

"You are far from home, aren't you?" He asked when I was able to pull away. I shrugged, words useless.

"I don't know where I am. That's what's so scary. I don't know how to return." I whispered, my voice cracking. I hated to show such weakness to him, to anyone, but there was no helping it now. He had seen the part of me I'd kept locked away since that horrible day so long ago. He looked into my eyes then, searching for something. I met his gaze blankly, wondering what he was seeing. He must have found it, because he stood and set his face in a determination I hadn't seen yet.

"I've decided. We will not go to the city of Organ. I'm taking you to our empress as I believe that she may be able to help you."

"Won't she have me killed for tresspassing on your land?" I asked, picturing myself being dragged away by armored guards.

"Not if I am with you. She will hear your tale if I request it." He answered sternly, but he seemed to be reasuring himself, which didn't help my own fears in the slightest.

"Ok!" I squeaked.

"Ok!" He said, his expression only becoming more certain. I prayed that he was right about the empress, though I was curious as to why she'd listen to me if he was there.

I would soon find out.

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**For the record! Organ is pronounced like 'Or-gone' not 'or-gen'! plleeeeaaasseeeeeeeeee review mmk? for me? ur best pal? PLEASE? now that my pathetic begging is out of the way, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT~! XDXDXD**


	3. Ch 3 Questions With No Answer

**WWHoo! Tis done! I hope you like it! What do you think of Darille? Hmmm? **Ch. 3

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It turned out that the largest Elvin city, the home of his empress, was in the opposite direction we'd been heading all this time, so the full day's walk had been pointless. When he told me this, I could only grimace and hide my glare. Darille didn't seem to be as wary of me as he'd been at first, but I didn't want to do anything that might put me on his bad side. My life depended on his trust.

"We will begin tomorrow. I'm not so cruel as to make you cross the same land twice in one day." Darille said, seeming to read my mind. I sighed, muscles I hadn't realized were tensed relaxing in relief, and all but collapsed onto the trunk of a tree that had fallen long so long ago it was almost buried entirely under thick, snaking vines. Darille watched me for a moment with a glint of amusement in his ever changing eyes, then stooped and threw me over his shoulder in one smooth moment, knocking the breath out of me. Before I could even let out a gasp he was climbing the nearest tree, not even holding onto me as he did so.

Clinging to his waist for dear life, I pressed my cheek to his lower back and squeezed my eyes closed against the ever growing distance between us and the floor. My thoughts were running rapid fire, trying to figure out what on earth Darille was doing and fight my own rising fear at the same time. My aversion to heights had always been one of the few things my mother and I never shared. When I thought I couldn't stand the constant swaying and bumping another moment, he stopped and pried my hands from their death grip on his tunic. Did I mention that he was dressed like every Elf you've ever heard or read about? Apparently, the imagination of our writers had been right on the money. His clothing was even a green that matched that of the surrounding foliage.

"Here, you're quite alright, Julianna." Darille cooed at me as one would speak to a spooked horse as he pulled me off his shoulder and sat me down at the base of the huge branch we were on. "You'll be safe from most predators here, and it's much warmer than down there. Look up!"

Glad for an excuse not to look _down_, I did as I was told and nearly lost my balance with surprise. This of course tore my attention away for a moment while I clutched at the wood beneath me until I was steady again. Heaving a sigh, I returned my gaze to the wonder above me. We were on a branch only feet below the canopy, but it wasn't as tightly knit as I had thought. Sunlight sparkled through the spider web of tiny, leaf covered branches like a million diamonds in every shade of green I'd ever seen and some I hadn't. It was simply breath-taking.

"You're crying again." Darille commented before catching a tear on his index finger and holding it up for my inspection.

"Hmm…yes, Watson, I believe you're correct!" I laughed at my own lame joke but quickly fell silent again at Darille's confused expression.

"Have you forgotten my name..?" He inquired, seeming oddly put out.

"Of course I haven't! It was a joke referring to a character in a story from home. I forgot for a moment that you couldn't have read it…" I answered, trying to apologize with my eyes. That's harder than authors make it sound, you know.

"Oh." He said, then abruptly turned and dived off the branch. Surprised, I cried out his name and dove onto my stomach after him, just missing his foot. At a loss, I lay there and watched in awe as he nimbly twisted in midair, caught a branch close to the ground, effectively stopping his downward plunge, and gracefully landed on his feet.

"You'll be fine!" He called up to me, misinterpreting my fear for his life for fear of being left alone. If I was being honest with myself, I was afraid of both. I managed a nod, which he was somehow able to see, and followed his retreat until he was out of sight. I could only pray that he would return.

I spent the first hour staring at the jewels of green above me, the second trying to braid my hair and having little success, and the third trying to find other things I could do to ignore the hundred foot drop below me. By the time the fifth hour came around I was curled into a ball, my mind locked around one phrase. _He hasn't left you to die. He hasn't left you to die. _Halfway through the sixth hour, my phone died, leaving me without the ability to even gauge the time passed. It was useless anyway since there wasn't a single phone tower on this planet. At least, I was pretty sure there wasn't.

The light had left the sky around the fourth hour, plunging my tree into darkness, so I was pretty sure it was late when I finally drifted off to sleep halfway through the eighth. Of course, I could only guess at what hour it actually was at that point.

I dreamt I was running.

_Thorny bushes snagged at my clothes and cut into my arms and face, but I didn't stop, couldn't stop. My lungs screamed for rest, my sides creaking as if they'd soon break in half, but still I kept moving. I knew that if I quit even for a moment my life would be forfeit. _

_Undergrowth snapped and broke behind me, the ground shaking with the force of the footsteps hunting me down. They were getting closer. _

_A giant tree suddenly loomed before me, so big it blocked out my field of vision. I panicked and slowed down, just a tiny bit. Where could I go from here? Where could I hide? As if it were waiting for my frenzied question, a small hole under a particularly large root popped into view. Without pausing for thought I plunged into it, scooting as far back as the small haven would allow, and struggled to control my breathing. _

_The footsteps stopped, moved to the right then back to the left. My pursuer was confused. I used this as a calming gel, letting the knowledge that I'd hidden successfully slow my breathing and heart. _

"_Found you." A soft, cruel voice spoke from just outside the opening and a hand shot inside and caught my wrist. I had forgotten that there were two._

"Julianna! Julianna! You're alright, it's me!"

The nightmare still lingering on my mind, I fought the hand closed around my forearm, certain it was Elliot after my life. A slap to the face brought me around. It wasn't hard enough to hurt, but it was enough to snap me out of it. I blinked, squinting in the faint light of dawn at the face of the man in front of me. Darille.

"Sorry…bad dream…" I mumbled, blushing beet red. He nodded, gentle understanding in his currently magenta eyes. This was a particularly inhuman color, driving it home that I didn't belong here, but I pushed that away. After all, it could turn out that I would _have_ to belong. I had to face the fact that I might never see my brother again, my mother's picture.

"I have brought food and warmth." He offered after a moment's silence. Seeing the bowl of strange looking fruit, vegetables, and what I hoped were roots, I grinned. Food was food, even if that one in the corner looked like it had teeth. I would let Darille peel that one.

Half an hour later I was full and feeling mostly free of the shadow my nightmare had left on my thoughts. Darille was mostly the reason behind that latter, though. He described every fruit, vegetable, and root in meticulous detail, showing me the proper way to peel and eat each one. This was an obvious and much appreciated gesture designed to distract me. In the end, my favorite was a small, unassuming fruit called Dorgs that were little more than a bulb with two stiff leaves at the top, but were packed with such sweet flavor that I ate all five he'd brought me.

"I'll be sure to get more for lunch." Darille promised, earning my first smile of the new day, but its life was short because after only a tiny pause he continued, "We have to get to the ground first, however." All this time I had successfully ignored the fact that we would have to descend at some point, but now there was no way to avoid it.

"Ok." I said finally, my voice cracking in fear. This was _not_ going to be fun. This time he offered to let me ride on his back, his lips twitching in amusement at my relief.

"You have nothing to fear from me, Julianna. Until the empress declares your fate, I will keep you from harm. I promise this on my honor." Darille swore in sudden solemnity, his eyes pouring into mine sincerely. Something about those eyes melted away my misgivings, bringing calm in its stead. It wasn't until we were on the ground and walking in silence that it hit me.

_Until the empress declares your fate…_ Darille would protect me now, but would he do the same if I was banished or worse, sentenced to death..? I shook my head hard, trying to dispel the morbid thought and earning a questioning glance from the man in question. I shrugged, not willing to voice it aloud just yet. There was a time for everything.

Lunch was a mammal that resembled a hare, but about twice the size and with two bony horns peeping out of the fur between its floppy ears. It was called a Hopper, I was told, by humans. Darille snorted and shoot his head at the unimaginative name. To elves, he added, it was called a Bormik.

"How can I understand you?" I asked while we waited for the meat to cool. Darille blinked, the idea never seeming to have occurred to him. For a long moment he sat unmoving, staring thoughtfully into the fire.

"I'm not sure. Perhaps it was part of the enchantment that brought you here, or maybe you have your own kind of magic. I will tell you this. To my ears, you are speaking my language with perfect fluency. I assume, since you look surprised now, that to yours I am speaking whatever language you spoke where you came from. This is another question we will present to my empress." Apparently finished speaking, he brooded into the flames. I noticed that his eyes were a troubled grey. Maybe his eye color wasn't only governed by the moods of the jungle surrounding us, an idea I still had trouble wrapping my mind around. That a tree, a flower, had a life of its own was simple. To try and imagine every single piece of green and brown in this place was connected into one massive whole, on the other hand, was quite a lot to take in.

"Yeah…your empress…I've no doubt that she'll be able to give me at least one answer to my many questions, but will she give the answer I need most? Will she really hear me out before she punishes me? What if she does and decides I'm lying? Will I be put to death? Would I be stoned, tarred and feathered, hung, cast down by magic?" Unable to care about how pathetic I sounded, I faced him, begging him with my eyes to tell me the truth.

Darille regarded me for a long time with an expression I couldn't read. It was as if he were looking at me with new eyes.

"I don't know. I truly don't. The empress is like this jungle; strong, willful, full of firm beliefs and unwavering ideas. She is also bendable, like the trees. She can be made to see reason if it is given to her honestly. She can be kinder than anyone you know and crueler than your worst enemy. Always treat her with respect, for insulting her would also be to insult the very trees, the animals that call them home. You could never travel through the jungle and expect to survive." Darille said. His expression never changed, but his voice was soft, almost gentle. Faced with the details of this woman's demeanor, I was only made more certain that I would not like the results of meeting her. Still, Darille trusted her and was convinced that I would have a fighting chance. Somewhere in the day we'd been together, he had become my friend, much as Jamie had. He was here for me. I only hoped that this would still be the same if things took a wrong turn.

"Alright, don't insult her, be honest and frank. I think I can do that." I said firmly, more to myself than to him, ending the conversation. By then the meat was done, so we both tore off a hind leg and dug in. When we were finished, Darille cut what was left into long strips, covered them in salt from the bag on his hip, and laid them in the sun to dry. I asked for a pinch of the salt once I'd tasted it, glad to know that this world had at least one thing in common with mine, and folded a leaf around it before putting it in my jacket pocket. It had proven sweltering after the first hour of walking the day before, but I couldn't bear to take it off yet. Darille had refused to comment, seeming to understand my reluctance.

Once the meat was dried, we buried the bones and cleaned up our mess before setting out. We had a long day ahead of us.

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**And yes, I know this elf ate meat, but I think it's silly for them not to. Really! They're part of the forest! They should understand better than anyone else that it's how things are! Animals eat and are eaten! Period! PWEEEAASE REVIEEEWWW!**


	4. Ch 4 Friendship Is So Hard To Come By

**I hope you liked chapter 3! I won't tell you whether or not I want Jewls and Darille to be together because I have no idea yet! Any permanent ideas I had were about chapter one and two! three and on will be what comes to me as I write! This is a way of writing that lets the story simply be what it is. If i try too hard to think of something, it comes out fake and uninteresting:( so bare with me and if you have any suggestions for the coming chap do not hesitate to let me hear it in your reviews! XD**

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Ch. 4

We spent the time making up the distance we lost the day before in companionable silence. Now that I was rested and full, it was much easier. We even managed to add a few more miles on top of the distance we'd been planning to stop at, much to my satisfaction.

"You've done well, Julianna." Darille complimented with a smile. I nodded gratefully at the praise and leaned against the trunk of the nearest tree. They'd been getting closer and closer together the farther we'd gone, making it clear that we were moving towards the heart of the jungle rather than away from it. It made sense, really. Why would the capital of the Elven lands be anywhere else?

"You can call me Jewls, if you prefer." I finally offered. He'd more than earned the right to call me by my nickname. For starters, he hadn't decided to kill me when he saw that I was a human.

"Jewls..." He said, trying it out. Suddenly, he grinned. The action shaved years off his face, making him look like an excited 12 year old. "It suits you."

"What's that look for?" I asked, raising one eyebrow suspiciously. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Your eyes. They shine with your emotions like jewels. Your name is befitting." He replied with an even wider grin, then the smile turned into a perplexed frown and finally an expressionless mask. I felt myself blush in embarressment at the unexpected compliment, then watched the transformation with comfusion. Had I done something wrong..?

"Come here." He demanded softly, opening his arms to me. Even more confused, I was reminded that I was his prisoner for the first time since we'd first met and did as I was told. He picked me up and put me on his back in one fluid motion and began climbing the tree I'd been using as a leaning post. Knowing by now that he wouldn't drop me, I let myself relax and focused on the back of his head to keep from looking down. His mid-length black hair was swept back into a pony tail, leaving his neck bear. I noticed the beginning of what appeared to be a large scar peeking out of his collar and shifted ever so slightly to glance under it. It looked like a burn. I shivered, images of the kind of damage he must have endured in order to get a scar like this dancing behind my eyes. Darille glanced back at me for a moment, intrigue lighting his eyes, but he said nothing. I knew he would once we'd reached the branch he was shooting for.

"Are you alright?" He asked the moment he'd put me down. I nodded, pleased with myself for knowing him so well.

"I was wondering about your scar actually. It must have been a terrible wound." I answered honestly, not seeing a reason to lie. Darille grew very still for a moment, his mouth open in an O of shock, but he quickly regained his composure and fixed the blank mask on his face again.

"It happened a long time ago. It's the past." He said shortly then turned and dove off the branch. Even knowing that he was perfectly safe, I couldn't stop myself from crying out and taking a step towards the spot he'd lept from. Once I'd gotten over the surpise, however, I sat and pondered his reaction. Obviously, his wound was a touchy subject, but that didn't explain how he'd acted before that. Was he less of a friend that I'd thought he was? Perhaps he thought I was below him and didn't deserve his friendship. I creased my eyebrows, thinking that thought through. It did make the most sense. He'd have been angry with himself for starting to warm to me, the compliment from before giving him proof that he was. And now I'd asked him a very personal question. Shaking my head, I forced the depressing realization from my mind and instead turned to the jewels above me. They weren't as shiny today. Perhaps the sky was cloudy. Still, the dimmed light only served to lessen my mood even more.

Hours later, I was woken from my blissfully dreamless sleep by Darille gently shaking me. I didn't look up at him until I was done wiping the sleepy goo from my eyes. When I did, I was unsurprised to see another Dormik hanging by its hind legs over his shoulder.

"Supper!" He said, a smile back on his face. I nodded, not trusting that smile to be genuine anymore and took it from him without a word. It would have to ride down on my back because I needed his to have enough room for me on the way down. Darille raised an eyebrow at me but didn't say anything as he turned and let me climb on. Once we were safely on the ground, I passed him back the soon to be cooked animal and started gathering firewood. He let me go undisturbed while he skinned and cleaned the carcass. I was reaching for a largish stick that looked like it'd be good for the spit when his hand enclosed around my wrist gently and pulled me around to face him. Almost as an afterthought, I noticed that his hand was very warm.

"What is wrong, Julianna?" He asked softly, his currently amber eyes twinkling with something unreadable. "Jewls..?" He prompted when I didn't answer right away.

"Are we friends?" I finally got out, unable to keep his gaze but for a moment. I glanced up just in time to see his eyes turn a surprised yellow.

"I...I think so..." He replied, his eyes telling me that the idea troubled him. That look hurt more than I was willing to admit, even to myself, and I pulled away from his grip. He let me.

"You don't like that, do you?" This time the question came out as a whisper. I'd trusted this man with a part of me that no one else had seen since my mother died. I trusted him with my tears, and yet he found the idea of being friends with a human troubling. I wasn't even sure why I had, only that I'd felt a little piece of me find relief. Now that piece was seizing up again, going back to the way it had been before I was thrown into this place. A little voice, the part of me that had lost the ability to trust, whispered that had been bound to be too good to be true. His hand cupped my chin, forcing me to look at him. The pain I saw there froze me in place.

"You really believe that..? It's true..." He mused, "many elves find humans a bother. They think of them as a lesser species. Unwanted cousins, if you will, but that's not what I believe. I'm happy to call you friend, Jewls. What troubles me is what might happen once you're in front of the empress. Her word is final. I'm afraid of having to watch you die. I realized earlier today that I was starting to enjoy your company a little too much. It would only make saying goodbye harder if we became too close of friends." Everything he said drove into me like a sharpened barb. My untrusting mind hadn't even thought of that possibility. The piece of me that had started to freeze unmelted, warming me to my toes. We were friends after all. He was right, however. I could never ask him to go against his empress for me, no matter how strong our friendship grew.

"So...what do we do?" I asked hesitantly, afraid of the answer, but Darille shrugged and shook his head.

"I don't think there's anything to be done at this point. There's really no reason in trying to avoid something that's already happened." He said dryly. I nodded, feeling a strange mixture of defeat and elation. Now I had two friends. _Two! _I sent a silent prayer to my mother for the chance to meet more. _A female friend wouldn't hurt, too._ I added to the end. People would start wondering about me if I only let boys in. The problem was that girls tried to crack through my layers too quickly, whereas boys were content to let me go my own pace. What can I say? We're an impatient gender.

Touching four fingers to his arm in unspoken thanks, I walked past him and started building the spit. My mother and I had loved to camp and both prefered to eat the old fashioned way when possible, so I new my way around a fire and raw meat. I'd explained this to Darille the first night, pleased with myself for remembering as much as I did. Now I stuck two of the three sticks I'd chosen on either side of the fire and stabbed the third through the dead Dormik before balancing it on top. Darille dangled the little bag of salt in front of my eyes as I reached for the bag in search of it. I laughed, still in a high from the conversation before and snatched it from his fingers. He yanked them back, causing me to miss. I tilted my head as far back as it would go in time to see him duck behind a tree trunk.

Grinning ear to ear, I snuck around the other way, hoping to catch him from behind. He was there, facing the opposite direction while he waited for me. Obviously, he was underestimating my ability to be stealthy. Silent as a ghost I snuck up behind him, getting within a foot of his broad back before pouncing on him, knocking him clean over, and plucking the pouch from his surprised fingers. Waving it in front of _his _eyes, I allowed myself a smug grin and moved to get up. He was faster, though. With blinding speed, he spun around under me and rolled us over, knocking the wind from my lungs. Holding both of my hands above my head with only one of his, he regained the bag and hit me on the nose with it. I struggled against his inhuman strength until my arms screamed at me before finally giving in and going limp.

"You win! You win!" I panted, laughing breathlessly. I hadn't felt this alive in so long I hardly new what to do with myself! Darille smirked victoriously and got off me, offering a hand to help me up. I took it, my legs shaky from exursion. For a split second, my face was mere inches from Darille's, sending a shock of something unnameable down my spine, but then he let go of my hand and stepped back. I blinked, wondering what that could have been, and followed him back to the fire. His eyes were a happy green-ish blue as he checked the food, apparently unaware of the strange feeling I'd had.

"You know, you're quite good at traversing the underbrush without making sound." He pointed out teasingly as he passed behind me on his way to the rest of the seasonings, tugging a lock of my hair as he did. I laughed and slapped at his hand, refusing to give him the satisfaction of an answer. Whatever I had felt didn't make another appearance, so I let it go. There was no reason to dwell on every strange occurance here. After all, every new thing I was interduced to was strange to me. Some of it terrifyingly so, like the monster that was Grudge. All I could do was take it in stride.

"The food is done." Darille said loudly in my ear, shocking me from the cozy doze I'd drifted into. A hind leg was floating an inch from my mouth, held carefully by Darille. I giggled and took it from him, feeling completely relaxed. For once, there were no worries buzzing in my ears, no fears pulling at my smile. For a few blissful minutes I felt as I had before I lost my mother.

Then the tree I had my back against growled.

Before I knew what was happening, something huge barreled into me. Its claws sank deep into my shoulders, pulling a agonized scream from my throat.

"Julianna!" I heard Darille cry. Dazed and in horrible pain, I barely registered the sound of something whistling through the air and the resulting snarl of the beast on top of me. My gaze focused briefly on an arrow buried deeply in the green fur of its shoulder, but a tearing sensation on my side brought my attention back to the thing's face. Its teeth were now sunk to the gum line in my flesh, causing an agony so intense I nearly blacked out. Another whistle announced the arrivel of a second arrow, this one striking true. The animal shuttered once, releasing me from its grip, and fell limply on top of me. I was so close to unconciousness at this point that I didn't even feel its weight.

"Julianna! Julianna! Julianna...!" Darille shouted my name again and again as he pulled the beast off of me and lifted my head, but his voice was slowly fading out. The pain was too great, the comforting blanket of darkness creeping into my vision too tempting. The last thing I saw before everything went dark was Darille's eyes, black with terror.

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**ok! what do you think? huh? good, bad, horrible, fabulous? pleeeeaaasseeee review! please please please please pleeeaassee! 0_0**


	5. Ch 5 Doctors and Giants

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**So are your thoughts? please! please tell mee! **

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Ch. 5

The first sensation that returned to me was warmth. It enveloped me in its tender embrace, holding the pain my mind new was just on the edge of my feelings at bay. For an eternity and no time at all, I enjoyed solely this pleasant company, but I knew that it would eventually have to give way to others.

The first to join was my sense of smell, bringing in its wake a thick, floral aroma that tickled the back of a nose I had just remembered I had. Then came sound, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, low voices, and the dripping of something liquid nearby. I focused on the voices, trying to pull words from the rize and fall of sound.

"Could have died..."

"Lucky you brought her to me!"

"Please..."

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"Do my best..."

The tiny snidbits brought to mind flashes of green fur, inch long teeth and claws. The rest of my senses slammed into me at once with the return of my last memories. I gasped with the weight of it all. The pleasant smell, the soft warmth, were all but forgotten with the sudden and intense onrush of pure agony that assaulted my body. I felt myself groan, but couldn't hear it over the waves crashing in my ears. Cold hands encircled my wrists, but I was barely aware of them. The small part of me that could still see reason wondered why they did, since I wasn't thrashing. The torture of my pain was great and terrible, but my body was too schooled in the art of being numb for such things that it remained completely still.

"Cast a spell! Can't you feel her thoughts? It's too much for her!" Darille's voice pleaded from somewhere above me. I tried to smile for him, to tell him I could survive this, but only succeeded in opening my eyes. Darille and a stranger stood over me. Darille's eyes were a dark purple that changed in shades with every passing second, while the man's, I assumed he was a doctor of some kind, stayed a flat grey. I only afforded him a glance, however, since convincing Darille to let me remain awake was more important. I begged him with my eyes, trying to show him that I was afraid of my own dreams. With a look that told me he understood entirely, he let me go and motioned for the stranger to do the same. He did so without protest.

"The girl is obviously intellegent," He said in a gruff voice, "but not enough to sense a Dread when it's a few feet above her head. A pity." Without another word, he turned on his heal and left.

"That's Joens. Don't worry, that means he's worried about you." Darille explained with a strained smile. I blinked at him, furious that I couldn't seem to make my mouth or body obey.

"That's because he placed a spell on you to keep you still." He answered, almost shocking me back into unconciousness.

You can read my thoughts..?

"Yes, all elves can read the thoughts of the living creatures around them."

I mulled this over, only now understanding why he had believed my story so readily and decided to help me. After a moment's thought, I returned my gaze to his and continued with my questions. By now I'd become conscious enough that I was able to barricade my pain safely behind a steel wall located in the back corner of my mind. It would remain firmly fixed there until I was recovered. It was how I'd survived without my mother before I met Jamie.

Have you been reading them since we met?

"Not since our first meeting. We hold the ability to read thoughts but refrain from doing so unless it's necessary. In that case, I needed to be able to sense the truth behind your explanation."

What attacked me..? Here Darille sighed, a look of shame crossing his face.

"They are one of only a few creatures who have the ability to block us from their minds. This makes them the most dangerous beast in the jungle, as it will attack any prey without descrimination. They are called Dread. I should have warned you of them, given you something to protect yourself with, but I was foolish enough to forget about them. The one that attacked you was a fully grown male. I only barely killed it before it killed you."

Where did you get arrows? A bow? The image of a bloodied arrow shaft danced before my eyes.

"I conjured them. There are certain spells you can cast that will hold all your weapons and keep them from damage while you travel."

I thought for a long time about all I'd just learned and felt myself yearning for more. This world was full of magic, of mythical creatures and people. I wanted to know it all. I had to take care of something first.

Would you undo the spell keeping me still, please? I have a horrible itch on my nose!

Darille's eyes widened at the sudden change in my thoughts, but then he burst into merry laughter. As if on que, Joens walked back in. Of course, he was probably listening to the whole conversation.

"She's feeling better then? Good. She's strong willed to have such control over her suffering." He grunted. He had a way of speaking that sounded like he was talking more to himself than the person he was looking at that, added to his white hair and deep wrinkles, made him seem like some sort of mad scientist. His eyes remained the blank grey no matter how long I stared at him while he checked my surprisingly almost healed wounds. Of course, when you had magic on your side, healing was a lot easier. Seemingly satisfied with what he saw, he muttered an accound of my injuries to me. More than a few puncture wounds in both shoulders where the Dread's claws had gripped me, a fairly large hole in my side from the beast taking a bite out of me, and dozens scratches and bruises on my back and neck from being thrown to the ground. Not surprisingly, it was the chunk from my side that had caused my near death experience. My organs had been barely, miraculously, missed, but I'd lossed a huge amount of blood by the time Darille had gotten me to Joen's home. I learned then that Joens lived alone in a tree house and was trying to find a cure for every poisonous plant known to Elven kind. There were a few. Thousand.

Once introductions and Joens's inspection were complete, Joens placed one hand firmly on my forehead and the other in the center of my stomach. Something sharp and powerful built around his fingers, tickling my skin and making it hard to draw breath. This, I guessed, was what magic felt like. It was so powerful, so sutle, so THERE, so everything! Before I had the chance to deside if I liked it or not, the spell was complete, and movement flowed like water into my limbs. As if relieved to finally be free, my arms and legs twitched sporatically for several seconds before calming down.

"Why did..." My voice, raspy and sore, cracked. Clearing my throat, I tried again. "Why did you hold me down before if you had such a strong spell on me..?"

"You'd already managed to break through two similar to it. We didn't want to take any chances." Joens answered. I blinked, unable to comprehend that I had been able to get through a force as strong as the one I'd felt just now. "Yes," he continued, "I was quite surprised as well. No human should have the mental ability to do such a thing, and doing it twice is practically impossible. Yet, here we are." Obviously, Joens didn't hold the same feelings as Darille about listening in on the thoughts of others without consent. The man in question only smiled maniacally. Inwardly, I shuttered. Every warning bell in my mind was ringing, telling me that this was a man I should never trust. I prayed for the moment Darille and I left this hermit's tiny home.

At that thought, I looked around me for the first time. Unconciously, I had noted that it was extremely small, but I hadn't taken in any other details. It was soon obvious why. Joens had chosen to make his home in the hollow of a tree. The hollow was absolutely enormous as they go, but served as almost claustrophobic living arrangements. Well-worn books lined every wall, were stacked on almost every surface. Even the table I was laying on, I noticed, was home to a small pile of books sitting just below my feet. There were only two doors to break the line of books. The largest was a round door that resembled the entrance to a hobbit's home. (It really was only a matter of time before I started comparing everything I saw to the Lord of the Rings.) I assumed this was the way outside. The second, one more on the normal side, was only a little smaller than the kind of doors I was used to. It had been through this that Joens had left before.

"The second room is my bedroom." The hermit offered, almost making me scowl. I was beginning to hate that. His grin only grew wider.

"Are you hungry?" Darille's voice cut in, pulling my thoughts away from the disturbing man in front of me. Feeling my stomach grumble, I nodded and started to drool when he pulled out several of the fruit I'd been most fond of when I'd tried all the choices he'd offered two days ago. I'd been relieved to find that my favorite, the Gorn, didn't have teeth. The sharp, white growths were its seeds.

While I ate, I stretched my legs and arms, testing their strength. The pain rose and fell with every movement, but it was tolerable. By the time I was on my second Gorn, I was carefully walking from one side of the room to the other. My side tugged at me when I lifted my arm higher than my shoulder, but it wasn't nearly as hindering as I'd been expecting it to be. Darille promised that even my scar could be removed if I wished. I shrugged at that, not really caring either way. I kind of liked that I had proof of surviving the most dangerous natural enemy of the Elves.

"Do you think you could make the rest of the trip? It's only half a day off from here." Darille asked once I'd finished eating and was walking around fairly close to my normal pace. I stopped, rolling my shoulders and hips. Nothing seemed to be too great a pain to say no, so I nodded and smiled. In the back of my mind, I admitted to myself that I'd have said yes regardless. Anything to get far as away as possible from this strange man's home.

Twenty minutes and one piggy-back ride later, we were on our way again. While we walked, Darille told me what had happened while I was unconcious. Once the Dread was dead and harmless, he'd thrown its body off of me and taken me to the closest doctor he knew of, Joens. I could tell by the way he spoke of him that he didn't much like the doctor either, which earned him major points in his favor. Joens, after hearing Darille's case and inspecting my bleeding wounds, cast a series of complicated spells that healed the majority of them and saved me from death. He refused to do anything else, however, saying that healing them entirely would only make my body dependent on magic and unable to heal itself over time. Darille, not being skilled in the art of healing, had had no choice but to let it be.

"It's fine, Dare." I promised, my recent brush with oblivion giving me the courage to call him by a nickname. "If he's right he did me a favor, and even if he's wrong the pain won't kill me." Darille nodded without looking back at me. I could only see part of his face, but I could tell he was in deep thought by the way the corner of his lip pulled down slightly. My dad, dead of an unknown disease when I was five, had had the same habit. I remembered very little of him, but would notice something once in a blue moon that would trigger a long forgotten memory. Fortunately, I'd been spared a lot of the grief over his passing because of mom's bedtime stories depicting his adventures across the world. Until I was thirteen, I'd believed he was still out there somewhere searching for a lost treasure, just like Indiana Jones. When I finally did learn the truth, it was much easier to take. I'd lived too long without him, remembered too few things about him.

I was so into my own thoughts at that moment that I didn't realize Darille had stopped until I walked face first into his back. I noticed then that his shoulder blades were particularly boney. Ouch.

"What did you call me..?" Darille asked once he'd steadied me and gotten my full attention. I looked at him blankly, having forgotten all about what I'd said only a few minutes ago. He repeated himself, more slowly this time. Then the lightbulb clicked on and I mentally slapped myself in the face.

"Dare. I have a nickname, so I thought I might give you one, too. Darille is a wonderful, but I didn't want to leave you out." I replied softly, almost afraid to look into his eyes, but met them anyway. He said nothing for what seemed like forever, during which his eyes turned dark green, then lavender, then a beautiful teal-ish hue.

"Dare...I like it." He finally decided. Letting out the breath I hadn't known I was holding, I smiled at him.

"Shall we continue, Jewls?" He inquired with one eyebrow raised. Giggling, I nodded.

"I'd quite like that, Dare."

During the next four hours of travel, Dare insisted that we break constantly. He didn't want to upset me wounds any more than was needed, he explained again and again. After the third stop I gave up my protests and tried to take the treatment in stride. After all, it wasn't every day someone wanted to look out for me. I'd always made sure to keep away from people, from debt. Debt is a dangerous enemy indeed when you're living alone with no one to protect you from those who'd take advantage. Needless to say, I'd saved for a long time in order to purchase my own alarm system. In the years I'd spent on my own, it had saved me from three attempted burglaries. At least, I chose to believe that that was the reason behind the intruder's actions.

Halfway through the fifth hour, Dare stopped me, holding a finger to his lips. The whisper of footsteps came to my ears, making me freeze in place. Through the trees came a giant of a man. How he could travel with such grace and silence was beyond me. His skin was very dark, either from birth or too much sun I couldn't tell, and every inch of exposed skin from his neck down was covered in complicated tattoos. I found that the longer I looked at them, the harder it was to decide what the images were. A beautiful faerie one moment, turned into an ugly hag the next.

"Don't stare at his flesh or you'll be put into a trance." Dare cautioned, breaking me from what I was sure was the beginning of just that, before raising his voice to address the man before them. "Greetings, Harn. I have returned with a guess to seek an audience with my mother." His words slammed into me, pulling my gaze from the man's guarded eyes to that of my companion. _____His mother?_

Harn grunted, peering at me with hostile eyes.

"She is human. Why should I not kill her for trespassing?" He demanded. His voice was deep and gravelly, exactly what I would have expected from him.

"Because I have placed her under my protection until she can be seen. Are you going to go against your prince..?" Dare, no, Prince Darille, said coldly.

Harn stared at him for a long moment, looking as if he'd very much like to, but then took a step back and to the side.

"When she is sentenced to death, I will gladly volunteer to be the executioner."

In spite of my confusion and feelings of slight betrayel, I didn't miss that he'd said "when" instead of "if". Suddenly, I wasn't feeling quite so sure about myself. Shaking and lonely, I sent another prayer to my mother.

____

_Please let me live._

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**WHAT DO YOU THINK? IS IT GOOD? BAD? PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR OPINIONS AND WHAT YOU THOUGHT IN DETAIL! WHICH PARTS DID U LIKE? WHICH DID U HATE? WHY AM I SPEAKING IN CAPITAL LETTERS?**


	6. Ch 6 The Empress at Last

**whoot! i had no idea the story would develop into this! XDD**

ch. 6

I didn't speak to Darille for a long moment as we walked through the thinning trees. They'd begun to thin within ten feet of passing Harn.

"When were you planning on telling me..?" I whispered, almost to myself. I hoped for a split second that he wouldn't hear me, but I had no such luck.

"Not until I had to, honestly." He admitted, so many emotions playing over his face it was impossible to tell which they were. "I'm...looked up to, in the city. People want things from me, ask favors and blessings but don't really see me as a person. Know one wishes to actually _know_ me. It was a bit selfish, I'll confess that, but I wanted to be looked on by fresh eyes without that in the way." His face finally settled on a look of troubled pain. I twinged, my anger and hurt melting away immediately to be replaced by guilt at so quickly letting myself see him as any different than I had a few minutes before. For the first time, I took in every detail of him. Until then, I'd really only stared at his eyes. It was hard not to, you understand.

His hair, like a raven's, was so black it glinted purple when hit by the sunlight; his features sharp and beautiful. It may have been wrong to call a man that, but that is what he was. So achingly beautiful it took my breath away now that it fully hit my mind. His neck was surprisingly delicate under the muscles that rippled beneath his skin and the bangs that stopped just past his chin. His hair, held back with a band of what I guessed was leather, fell far below his shoulders, meaning it must be even longer than mine was. Following its length, I let my gaze move over his wide shoulders, the tops of which were easily half a foot above my own. Every inch of him screamed strength, speed, agility. I shivered, a tendril of that unknown feeling tickling my spine and raising goosebumps along my arms. I pushed it back down, promising myself once again that it was nothing. Dare glanced at me in time to notice and frowned.

"Are you cold?" Without waiting for a response, he drew a symbol in the air that sparked and crackled at my senses, causing something that looked like a furred bathrobe to appear from nothingness. "Take it." He offered, opening it for me to shrug into. I shook my head, a smile at his chivalry passing my lips. Frowning deeper, he stepped in my path, forcing me to stop or plow into him.

"You shiver, yet you will not take the coat? Why is that? Any girl from the courts would jump at the chance to wear it." He wondered, his eyebrows knitted together. If I'd heard those words from anyone else's lips, I would have thought that person extremely arrogant and not bothered replying, but I knew he was speaking from experience rather than his own ego. It was obvious from the baffled look in his eyes that he was trying, and failing, to place me in a category. I'd little doubt that I was anything like the women he knew and was glad of it.

"I never said that I was like other girls, Dare." I said softly, somehow managing to keep myself from giggling when his frown became a frustrated grimace.

"I do not understand." He huffed. _Obviously._ I thought to myself, surpressing another laugh. The merriment died in my throat then, because Darille apparently decided that I would wear the coat regardless and, turning it around, draped it over my shoulders. It wasn't his act, but the results of it that froze my lungs. In placing the coat on my shoulders, he'd all but enveloped me in his arms, bringing his chest within an inch or two of my nose. His smell filled my senses. It was earthy, like autumn leaves and freshly dug ground. My eyes closed without my bidding, blocking out everything in that moment but his warmth and the smell of the jungle. It wasn't until I felt his hand touch my hair that I snapped back to reality. Something like panic clutching at my heart, I gasped and staggered back severel steps, breaking away from him.

"We-we should hurry. I don't want to anger your mother." I stammered out, barely paying attention to the words that spilled from my mouth, and rushed past him without daring to look into his eyes. I couldn't hear him behind me, but I knew he was following. His gaze burned into the back of my head like two hot coals, trying to figure me out. By then I'd convinced myself that I'd imagined his hand touching the side of my head, the almost tender way it had stroked my hair. It was locked away with everything else that I couldn't, wouldn't, comprehend. After a few more minutes of this, Darille couldn't take it anymore and stopped me in my tracks with a hand on my arm. I didn't turn around.

"I'm sorry, Julianna." His voice hit my ears earnestly, soft as velvet. It hurt my head. "I will never do such things without your permission again. We are friends, Jewls. I do like that I have made you unhappy..." I hated myself for worrying him, for being so stupid. After all, it wasn't his fault I'd placed so many walls around my heart. He couldn't have known how I'd react to the same carress my mother had given me the day before she'd died. The last contact I ever had with her. I couldn't have known what his touch would do to my empty heart.

"It's alright, Dare." I whisper, turning to look at him with a smile that was almost genuine. "I overreacted hugely...it wasn't personal...it's just...my mother...the last thing she did..." He stopped me from completing the awful sentence with a finger to my lips. They tingled where it made contact.

"Say no more, Jewls. I understand. I lost my father only four years ago." The kindness in his eyes only made my head hurt worse than before. I was glad, too, that he chose not to read my thoughts, as my explanation was only half of the truth. Unfortunately, not even I was privy to the real details behind the other half and was not inclined to dig for them. For now, we were solid again, and that was all that mattered. I didn't need crushes, was above them. I'd be back to myself in no time.

_Oh, the lies I told myself back then._

Ten minutes of walking was all it took to finally reach the city of the Elves. I stared with wide eyes, standing just behind the treeline, at the wonder before me. To say it was shiny would be inaccurate, as it sparkled with the bright intensity of the sun. To say that it was beautiful would be an understatement, as it was more divine than the stars in the night sky, than the diamands that danced in the canopies of this very jungle every night. Buildings were everywhere; some made into the trees, others growing from the giant roots that webbed the ground, and still more that floated lazily through the air atop clouds of glittering bubbles. It was more than my mind could process, and yet I stilled tried. Everywhere, walking between buildings, crossing bridges, climbing walls, elves were at work. The sound of a distant string instrument, not unlike that of a violin, drifted into my ears. Its song was light and airy, yet hinted at a soft sadness that tugged at my soul. I swayed in place, lost in awe at it all.

"Parys. My home." Dare spoke from behind me. I nodded slowly, feeling as if I'd been caught in a dream. "May I lead you on..?" He asked me. I nodded again, not really listening to what he was saying. Thus my surprise when his hand closed around mine and pulled me forward. Fire spread up my fingers at this innocent act, but I didn't pull away. Caught in this world that defied logic and my own understanding, I let myself, just for a few perfect moments, enjoy the hot tingling in my captive limb that this man, my friend, caused. I never knew until much later how my passing stirred the people around me. How many enemies I made in those scant seconds.

He let me go, effectively knocking me from my trance, at the entrance of the palace. In contrast to the splender surrounding it, it was simple and plain. Somehow, that only served to make it more intimidating. Now was the moment I'd been dreading. On either side of the double doors stood two hulking beasts, I mean men. Each were easily seven feet tall and absolutely oozed power. The one on the left, pale and bald with spiked pluggs running along the length of his left ear, glared at me with undisguised menace, but the other, equally bald with a dragon tattooed under his right eye, merely looked intrigued. It was to this man that Darille nodded.

"Goodmorning Marque. How has the day been spent on you?" Darille spoke to him with the ease of long shared friendship, and Marque responded in kind.

"Well enough, Your Highness. I see you've had yourself an adventure." He grunted, dipping his head politely at me. His companion snorted and glowered at me harder. I decided I liked Marque more.

"I'm Julianna." I offered, smiling timidly. "It's only fair you know my name, since I've learned yours already."

"Speaks without permission..!" The brutish man hissed through his teeth. Marque rolled his eyes and boxed his ear.

"Treat the lass with respect, Garen! Our customs have no hold over a human!"

To my immense shock, the other man reddened with embarrassement and huffed an apology. I couldn't believe it! A man the size of a tree had just been punished as if he were a mischievous child!

"It's quite alright, sir." I said breathlessly, my fear of Garen all but gone. "I apologize for my ignorance of your customs. If-if her Majesty allows me to live, I will gladly learn them and do my best from breaking them again." Garen grumbled to himself, but no longer seemed to be envisioning a blade through my heart, so I took that as a good sign.

"Pay no mind to the young one, Miss Julianna, as he's very new to the position of guard." Marque said, his deep voice and unplaceable accent turning my name into 'Ju-li-eh-na'. I bobbed my head, trying to make a face that showed my forgiveness. He'd only been too eager to do his job well is all. I noticed that Marque didn't say anything about the empress letting me live or not. So far, no one was giving me the best of hopes.

After a minute or two more of idle chat and catching up, Marque opened the doors, letting Darille and I pass. The great hall was just as simple as the outside had been. The palace managed to feel homey inspite of its size. Purple was everywhere. The tapestries were awash with every shade, the walls a tender lavender. Even the tiles of the floor were a dark, rich, purple. Dressed in a simple uniform of the palest pink, a butler greeted us with a deep bow. At least, I assumed that was his station.

"Welcome home, Your Highness. Her Eminency is expecting you." The man didn't even acknowledge my presence, which made me want to shake him. Who was he to decide if I was below his notice? Even I, who worked for years to remain invisible, had at least a _little _pride, but I remained silent. Darille nudged me, sending shivers that were quickly becoming familiar across my shoulder, and motioned for me to follow him. I obeyed, keeping my hands clasped in a worried knot at my waist.

"My son!" The empress breathed when we entered the room. I watched as she floated towards him and wrapped her long, slender arms around his shoulders. Her face was indescribably beautiful, her grace unmatched. Her face held very little resemblance to her son's, so I assumed he got his looks from his father. Taller than anyone I'd ever met, I had to crane my head back simply to look into her constantly changing eyes. These very eyes studied me from Darille's shoulder, taking in every detail of my appearance. I glanced at myself selfconconciously, unable to help worrying about what she saw. My clothes were torn beyond repair and filthy, my hair greasy from days without shampoo and a proper shower. I knew that I was a reck.

"Tell me everything." She said. Her voice whispered in my mind, resonated in my bones, demanding I obey. I did so willingly. It took a long time, but I told her all that I knew. Instead of starting in the jungle, I began the morning before I was sent here. I laid down every detail, from the reason behind the gift Jamie gave me, to the color of the bag I fould the necklace in. When I got to the visit from Grudge and Elliot, her eyes flared in alarm, but she didn't interrupt me. I forged on, telling how I woke to Darille's knife at my throat and his decision to bring me to Organ after hearing my tale. After that Darille started adding in things I forgot and giving his own take on some of the situations. Her expression remained unreadable throughout the whole thing, though I thought I caught a glimpse of something behind her mask when I mentioned Joens's name. Finally, my throat horse, my tale was finished and my words trailed off into emptiness. I lowered my gaze and prayed with every fiber of my being that I would live to see tomorrow.

The silenced stretched.

And stretched.

And stretched.

"Well." Her voice that seemed to hold a thousand whispers finally broke into the still air, making me jump. "You've certainly been through quite a lot, havn't you?" I swallowed, not sure if the question was rhetorical or not.

"Y-yes Your Majesty!" I squeaked out when it became apparent that it had not been. A laugh as gentle as a passing breeze was my reward.

"Dear child, you need not look so frightened. I am not unyielding. I believe you, as I saw the truth unfold in your memories as you spoke, and have decided. You will live among us, as my guest, until my scholars have found a way to return you to your world. The magic exists, as is obvious, so we've simply to find it. I warn you, child," and here her voice grew grimly serious, "there are many here who would seek you harm simply for being what you are. Human. To help prevent this, I am placing my seal on you as well as assigning Darille, my beloved son, as your personal protector. As he is quite undenyably your friend, cares for your safety, and is unmatched in magic, he is most suited to keeping you safe. Now, to see to the immediate needs. Lorella!" Her last words were louder than the others, but only slightly, and a girl no older than I appeared from a door to our right wearing a uniform of the same pale pink as the butler's. While, Lorella waited in respectful silence, the empress, who's name I'd never heard, floated until she was standing before me. Her feet never actually left the ground, but her grace was so brilliant that she appeared to do so anyway.

"This may hurt, be pleasant, or not feel like anything at all. Magic is percieved differently by every individual." She warned. I nodded, already having felt magic. It was sharp, overwhelming, but not painful or unpleasant. "My name, by the by, is Jornerra." I had barely locked that into memory when her hand touched my forehead and a tidal wave of magic crashed into me. It was a thousand times stronger than the magic I'd felt at Joen's. It coursed through my body, filled my core and then overflowed. Without conciously deciding to, I laughed aloud at the splender of it all. For the first time in years, I was fully, completely _alive_! Then, as quickly as it began, the magic stopped, its job done. I sagged at its loss, suddenly feeling as if my bones were made of lead. Darille's strong arms caught me and held me upright. I murmered a shaky thank you and clutched at his forearm. The muscles there managed to distract me even through my weariness. How had a simple touch to my hair, a single sniff of a scent, changed the way I percieved him so completely? It wasn't fair, wasn't wanted! Empress Jornerra quirked a slender eyebrow at me, a curious look passing behind her eyes. Obviously, she'd heard my thoughts, was hearing them now. _Don't worry, Your Majesty. I've no intentions of going after your son in any way such as that. I closed myself to things of that nature when my mother died. _I despised that the assurance was more for myself than for her. Her lips only widened into a knowing smile.

"The marking is complete, dear. You are now under my protection. Lorella will show you to the guest house nearest Darille's chambers and will be your personal maiden for your stay. The first item on her agenda will be giving you a proper bathing and new clothes." Empress Jornerra stated, her smile one of amused kindness. I had no idea what the thoughts behind that look were, but I was so relieved to hear the word "bath" that I barely registered it. With a curtsie, Lorella gestured that I follow her. With a curtsie of my own to Her Majesty and a farewell wave and smile to Darille, I did as she said and left them behind me.

I'd survived, for now, but Empress Jornerra had said very frankly that I already had enemies. Only time would tell if I would make it back to my little home on Earth.

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**YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAY! WHAT? DID? YOU? THINK? **


	7. Ch 7 Misunderstandings Are Painful

**DOOONNE! WHOOT! OH PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE?**

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Ch. 7

Lorella led me through hall after hall, room after room, until I thought we'd never find the end of this gigantic place. By the time we reached room number fifteen, I was certain of it. Thus my relief when she finally reached what could only be a kitchen. Kitchens were always near the outdoors in every castle in my favorite books.

One wall was lined with enormous ovens, the other with hearths. All but one of the five there were occupied by cauldrons of bubbling soup. The sharp scent of spices filled my nose, making my mouth water. It had been ages since our last meal in the woods.

A plump elf with pouty lips and dimpled cheeks took one look at me, dropped me onto a stool, and placed a steaming bowl full to the brim with steaming liquid.

"Eat up, darling! You're skin and bones! I hope humans like Gnarl stew!" Genta, head cook and all around mother figure as I learned later, ordered before fussing over my ratty clothes and dirty fingernails. I instantly liked her. She was so much like my mother on the rare occasions I got sick that I couldn't help it. The Gnarl meat, which tasted like a cross between venison and beef, was fabulous. I gorged myself, overjoyed to have something other than otherworldly Hares and fruit to eat.

Two bowls later, I lay down my spoon and sighed in contentment, wiping my face gently with the napkin Lorella provided. The Elvin girl was quite and very shy, but seemed nice enough. I hoped we could be friends. It would be wonderful to add another to my tiny posse.

With a final thanks and unexpected hug, we left Genta behind and walked through a small door and into a vast flower garden. Just as before when I saw the city, I froze in place. Every flower shown with magic so strong I could taste it on my tongue when I breathed. It drifted through the air like a gentle fog, twisting the rays of sunlight that passed through it into intricate designs and patterns. As if they were following an unheard call, my feet brought me to the nearest bush. Purple and blue flowers the size of my open palm fluttered in the light breeze, nectar pooling inside their long pedals. Inhaling, I drew their scent into me, causing images of pomegranates and raspberries to blossom in my mind. Reaching out, I stroked one veined flower, marveling at the way the light played on its surface. To my shock, the stem wrapped once around my wrist and snapped away from the rest of its body. The single flower nestled into my palm, the nectar carefully balanced within.

"Drink it, ma'am." Lorella said from beside me, snapping me from my trance-like state. "It is a gift from the one who cares for the gardens." Her voice was soft, timid. I found myself wishing she'd speak again.

"Ok…" I answered, my voice trembling, and drank it all in one long draught. It tasted of honey and sugar cookies. In hind sight, I realized I should have questioned what the nectar contained, but I was too drunk on magic to think straight at the time. Luckily, it filled me with such a refreshing rush of energy I could barely stand still within seconds of the last swallow. Something else happened, too, though I didn't notice it at first. The farther we went into the garden, however, the more obvious it became. The nectar had somehow made me immune to the magic thrumming in the air. It was still there, still palpable and _real_, only it didn't affect me anymore. It didn't lull me into a drunken stupor. I would have to meet the gardener and give them my thanks.

"Are you always this quite, Lorella?" I asked, causing the girl in question to jump. She glanced back at me with a look of shock and stumbled over her own feet. I caught her by the elbow, steadying her, and frowned. Was it against their customs to talk to the hired help? She nodded thanks then, seeming to berate herself in her head, muttered a tiny thank you.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, you know." I said, trying to sound soothing. "I'm not sure of your customs here, but I'm human. If I understood the guard correctly, that means they don't hold me like they do you? So if it's wrong to talk to you, I'm afraid I don't care. I won't treat you like you're not there just to make a few elves happy." I paused for breath and held it, fully aware that I may have said too much and insulted her.

"It's…ok to talk to me…" She began timidly. Where did the boldness she'd shown before go? "It's just…no one ever asks me anything about myself…just, do this and do that. N-not that I'm complaining! I love my job!" She ended her little speech with a terrified wave of her hands and suddenly became very interested by her left shoe. It was more of a dainty slipper, really. I couldn't help myself. I laughed, long and hard.

"Oh Lorella, you really don't have to be so scared of me! Even if you did manage to make me angry, I'm sure even you are twice as strong as I am! I'd never hit you anyway! Listen," And here I looked her in the eye, "I want to be friends, if you'd let me. I don't like that you're being made to do whatever I tell you. So let's do this together, ok?" Her eyes were as wide as saucers, the irises flashing a dozen colors every second for a long time before they finally settled on a happy canary yellow and a small smile graced her face.

"That…sounds wonderful…to have a friend…" She seemed to taste the title on her lips with wonder. It warmed my heart to see such a sincerely open display of emotions. While she felt the new word out, I took in her appearance. Her hair, a chestnut brown that glistened in the sun, flowed from the back of her fluffy little uniform hat to end just past her waist. I envied how soft and tangle free it looked. Her cheekbones and chin were delicate and soft, as if a passing wind could break them. Everything about her was fragile, really. She was the extreme of petite and cute, as if she'd just stepped out of a Japanese Lolita manga. This, I felt a little sorry for, and was glad she didn't live in my world. Men were a dangerous beast indeed.

"Well…would you like to continue on our way to your new home?" Lorella asked, breaking my sad line of thought. I nodded, giving her a friendly smile. She beamed back at me and all but danced away, leaving me to laugh and follow a bit behind. Maybe life here could really be as amazing as it seemed; or it could all come crashing down on me. Whatever the future held, I hoped that I didn't have to face it alone and was beginning to believe that I wouldn't.

The little tree house was nestled in the heart of the garden, as if it were the centerpiece. It was certainly beautiful enough to be. Flowers, mostly the purple and blue ones that had so transfixed me before, grew up and around it, making it seem as if it were growing from the tree. As we grew closer, it became more and more apparent that exactly that was true. The house wasn't like Joen's, which was built into the tree, but was actually _part_ of it. I marveled at its beauty, unable to comprehend the magnitude of the magic that would have been needed to grow a tree like this.

"It is my favorite guest house." Lorella all but whispered. We'd have to work on that. Grinning at her, I took off running for the ladder leading up to the front door. I'd only made it half way when I was knocked off my feet. Moaning from the sudden painful stop, I tried to sit up from where I lay in a heap on the floor. A large hand tangled in my hair, ripping my head back, pulling a strangled cry from my lips. The boy sneering into my eyes looked no older than I and was dressed in what could only be called a prince's formal dress. He looked exactly like Darille in every way, down to the way his eyebrows knit together, but I knew the moment my gaze was forced to fall on him that this was not the man I'd come to call friend. Obviously, Darille had a twin, and he didn't share the same views on humans.

"You dare walk openly in the courts of Parys? I will have you tried for trespassing and thievery!" The Darille that was not Darille spat every syllable at me, peppering my face with saliva. My stomach twisted, but I refused to let it show on my face. Instead, I did the move Jamie had insisted he teach me. Whirling in place, I yanked my head forward, breaking his hold and just about pulling all my hair out in the process. Trying to move before he could react, I brought my knee up to catch him where he was most vulnerable, but the element of surprise was already lost. With a furious grunt, he caught my leg and threw me to the ground again in a movement that happened so fast my eyes couldn't track it. Gasping, I glared up at him and decided that words were my only chance with this guy.

"Your Highness, I am not the trespasser you believe me to be. Your mother has marked me as her charge. I have every right to be in the courts, and, for the record, the house behind you is to be mine." It took every ounce of my self control to speak calmly, but I managed it. My words appeared to throw him for a loop, but the scowl quickly returned. Humans were liars, too, it would seem. My would-be savior came in the form of an almost inaudible throat clearing.

"She speaks the truth, Master." She whispered from her respectful curtsy. In a blur of fancy clothing Not-Darille rounded on her, his face speaking murder.

"You dare-!" He seethed, his hand raising. A deep-rooted fury boiled in me at the sight of his intentions. Without any thought of the consequences of my actions, I dove forward from where I lay on the ground, landing in front of tiny Lorella in time to catch his hand on my face. My whole head was snapped to the side, knocking me senseless and off balance. Blinking away the dots in my vision, I returned to my place in front of my newest friend and straightened my back.

"You are despicable. If you are the highest example of the Elvin race then I am proud to be called human. To strike someone smaller than you for no reason but your own spite is wrong." Shaking my head in disgust, I lifted my bangs, hoping the mark Empress Jornerra had placed was one you could actually see. His shocked expression made it clear that it was. Locking my eyes onto his, I continued, "If you're done judging those you know nothing about and bullying your servants, I'll be taking my leave. And Your Highness? Not everyone is what you expect them to be. Always remember that and you'll be a fine emperor one day."

Turning on my heels, I took Lorella's shaking hand in my own and continued my walk to the ladder. I didn't know what had made me say that last bit, but it had felt good. There was nothing I hated more than an arrogant pig who thought that the world revolved around his beliefs. He reminded me of a certain girl back home.

I didn't look back until we'd reached the top of the ladder. When I did he was gone. Shrugging, I coaxed the still shivery Lorella inside and sat her down. On a mission, I didn't pause to wonder at the beautiful cups and plates in the cupboard or the sheer drapes on the perfectly formed window as I moved around the house in search of what I needed. The kitchen, to my delight, had a hand pump that pulled clean water and a cabinet full of cleaning rags and supplies. Once satisfied that my charge was comfortable with a glass of cold water and a damp cloth on her forehead, I set out for the bathroom.

The restroom was located down a tiny hall to the right of the kitchens and smelled of citrus. Every surface gleamed, though none of it was made of metal. Again, marveling could wait until later. It was the mirror that I was after.

The person staring back at me was a stranger. Her black hair, filthy and matted with dirt, stuck out in all directions, and every inch of her olive skin was covered in a layer of grime. Her hazel eyes, peering over high cheek bones, were oval and lifted at the tips just like my own. At the moment they were dull and watery with pain. A long, five-fingered bruise was already blossoming on her left cheek and across part of her forehead, and the corner of her lip had two beads of blood drying where the thin skin had torn. This girl held the look of one who'd known hard living, which I had. There had been more lean months than full ones back home, and this place was definitely no picnic. With a sigh, I wet a rag and wiped at my tender face. My whole left side hurt as if I'd been stung by a dozen bees.

"The bath is behind this door, ma'am." Lorella said, stepping into view behind me. Her eyes were steady again and downcast with shame. "Forgive me…I let you get hurt because of my own inability to move. Prince Jerryd is just such an intense man. He's never raised his hand to strike me before, though. You made him angrier than I've ever seen him." A small smile graced her face. "You should have seen how many colors his eyes turned when you gave him that little speech!"

Laughing at her expression, I turned and looked at her with mocking firmness.

"You should have known better! Speaking out of turn is a crime punishable by death!" I cried, doing my best at imitating Jerryd's voice and waving my arms about menacingly. She giggled and pretended to beg for her life, the light returning to her eyes. Sometimes someone just needs a reason to laugh.

After a few more moments of joking around, she showed me to the bathing room and filled the polished wooden tub with warm, scented water. Once I knew which bottles contained what I needed, Lorella left me alone to bathe myself, of which I was grateful. The fragrant bubbles were long gone by the time I was satisfied with my level of cleanness. When I returned to the main room wrapped in a towel a simple, yet achingly beautiful green dress awaited me. Lorella was a wonderful judge of personal style.

Dressed and feeling absolutely wonderful, I examined my face in the mirror again. The girl reflected back wasn't unknown any more. To my shock, however, the bruise that had just begun to show before was now an ugly, blotchy purple. It dominated my face as if I were wearing war paint, the longest finger ending just below the mark Empress Jornerra left there. Holding my head at different angles, it became more and more obvious that any attempt to hide such a huge bruise would be ridiculous. The mark of protection, a pale blue against my skin, was a simple circle holding a dancing dove in its center. Sighing, I left my face be, content that it was at least clean, and pulled an ornately carved brush through my hair. The shampoo and conditioners had done their job to perfection. For the first time in years, my hair looked healthy and full.

Finally, feeling light and floaty despite the tightness in my face, I left the bathroom and pulled on the shoes that had been left for me just outside the door. Lorella was nowhere to be seen, so I left the little hallway and turned to enter the kitchen only to stop mid-step. Prince Jerryd was standing beside the table, his right hand resting on a chair while the other gripped the hilt of a beautiful sword hanging from his side. Wary, I stepped into the light of the candelabra and met his gaze. At the sight of the giant bruise on my face his expression changed from unreadable to pained.

"That blow was meant for a stronger cheek." He said stiffly. It wasn't an apology, but it was probably all I would get. I nodded, sending him a dagger or two with my eyes. Whether it would have hurt Lorella or not wasn't the point. His expression softened then, becoming almost calm, and he visibly relaxed.

"You're a better person than I, human. I let my temper get the best of me far too often." He admitted, shaking his head. I blinked at him with eyes wide. I'd not been expecting to see true remorse color his face. "I cannot apologize for my dislike of your race, but I will apologize for the injury I caused in my rashness." With this ending statement, he bowed low. At a loss as to what the protocol for accepting a prince's apology was, I simply touched his shoulder with two fingers, making him look up, and nodded. His answering smile was quick but dazzling.

"I'm glad, as I don't deserve it. If you'd allow me, I could heal the mark I have left on you. I am very talented at the magic of healing." He offered, straightening and beckoning me closer. After only a moment's thought, I did so. He was sincere and honest, and I sensed that any danger I might have been in from this man ended the second he saw the mark on my forehead.

"This will not hurt, but it may itch." He cautioned as he placed one hand over the area in a surprisingly gentle hold. His hand was softer than Darille's, less calloused. I wondered what he filled his time with. With a muttered word that sparkled in the air, he began. The healing magic was like light. It shone and reflected, absorbing my pain in its rays. Smiling, I closed my eyes and unconsciously leaned my face into his palm. It was like running cold water over a burn and didn't itch in the least. All too soon, it was done, and the magic faded away with the end of the spell. Disappointed, I opened my eyes and heaved a sad sigh. Prince Jerryd lowered his hand slowly, a strange look behind his violet eyes as he stared at me. Suddenly self-conscious under his scrutiny, I glanced down and away.

"You have more than one wound." His voice cut into the silence. I jumped and swung my gaze back up to his.

"How did you know..?" I gasped, glancing down at my waist.

"I could sense it as I healed your face. The magic kept trying to run down to the greater injury on your side. Why have you not let a healer see it? How did you acquire it in the first place?" His voice sounded perplexed, annoyed. I couldn't decide what to make of this volatile man. One minute he was spitting, accusing, and the next he was healing the very damage he'd caused, annoyed that I had more he hadn't known about. I shook my head, chasing away the jumbled thoughts.

"A Dread caught me by surprise, but Dare-Prince Darille killed it. It's already been seen by one name Joens. He didn't heal it completely because it would make my body less able to heal on its own. It's actually much better than it was originally." I assured him, taking a tiny step back. Lorella was right. This man was too intense.

"Joens? You met him in the jungle? Well, if he's seen to it then there's little else to be done to it." He said seriously. Straightening, he adjusted his sword belt and bowed politely. "I must leave now as my business here is finished." I curtsied and nodded, a little relieved to see him go. Keeping up with his contradictory behavior was giving me a headache. Just before he walked out the door, he spun on his heels and regarded me with an unreadable look.

"I never asked your name." He said softly.

"Julianna. You're Prince Jerryd." I replied, proud of myself for knowing first. He nodded jerkily and left.

The sound of Lorella stepping out of what appeared to be a closet made me turn around. Every inch of her screamed of relief at his departure. Laughing hysterically, I sat her down at the table and told her all that had happened. She'd heard of course, having hidden in the first available room upon seeing his approach, but she wanted to know what it had been like to be healed. She'd never had the money to go to a Fixer. Fixers, I then learned, were what they called their doctors. Elves were surprisingly unimaginative.

We passed the rest of that day talking and admiring the many beauties of my new home. Lorella had at some point placed me in the role of her sister in her mind. I liked that. I liked that quite a bit. Regardless of today's many bad points, there were more than enough good ones to outweigh them. Being allowed to live was of course at the top of the list.

Unaware of the events the following day would bring, I lie down in my extremely comfortable bed and fell asleep with a smile on my face.

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**What did you think? the next chapter is where everything finally picks up! YAYAYAY FOR ACTION! AND THERES A LOT!**


	8. Ch 8 Gifts, Curses, and Battles

***BEEP* -please keep hands and feet in the story at all times. It is permissible to scream.**

ch. 8

I woke to the smell of frying eggs. Yawning, I sat up and scratched an itch behind my ear. The master bedroom wasn't any less amazing to look at this morning than it had been the night before. Shaking my foggy head, I slid off the bed and pulled on my slippers before walking out into the hallway.

Lorella greeted my arrival with a pleasant smile and a heaping plate of foot. Sausage, eggs, and giant piece of some kind of poultry. Mouth watering, I gratefully accepted the offering and dug in. The eggs tasted nothing like those from home, but that was just fine. Frankly, nothing tasted exactly like anything from home, but to expect that from a world completely seperate from my own would simply be silly. I didn't really care for the sausage, which reminded me of dirty socks, but the unnamed meat beside it was heaven on Earth. I gobbled mine down faster than Lorella could finish her first egg, much to her amusement. Starving for more, I begged her to show me how the thing was made. The meat was taken from the breast of a type of flightless bird called a Lyrik. They were, I learned, this world's equivalent of the chicken and absolutely amazing. Even made with nothing but salt and a few spices it made my mouth water. The morning became yet another bonding experience for us as she explained the different uses of the meat and how it can be prepared as I fumbled with the cooking tongs.

Id only had time to burn the first piece when a soft knock caught our attention. Handing the tongs to Lorella, I motioned that I would get it and left her to try and save the rest of my attempts. Still on a happy high, I didn't stop to see who it might be outside. If I had I certainly wouldn't have opened the door covered in grease and smelling of cooking spices.

"Hello, Jewls." Dare said softly, his smile giving me a dazzling hello of its own. I gulped and resisted the sudden urge to straighten the night gown I was wearing.

"Hey." I managed. Somehow I'd forgotten how handsome he was. Prince Jerryd had had Dare's face, but there was something about his eyes that made it impossible to give it the proper justice in my mind.

"May I come in? Do you like your new home?" He asked stiffly. Not rudely, quite the opposite. Everything about him screamed edicate and princeliness. I wondered why that bothered me, but I nodded and stepped aside.

The moment the door closed, Darylle grabbed me in a bear hug and spun me around, knocking me breathless.

"We did it! Mother likes you! She didn't even bring her stern side out! She can see the kind of person you are just by looking at you, you know that? It's part of being the Empress." Dare laughed while I stared at him with giant eyes. His whole demeanor had changed. He was now the Dare I'd grown accustomed to in the jungle again. Maybe there were people watching him outside?

"I'm so glad she does, but were you really that worried she would have had me killed..?" I gasped out, still a little winded, and leaned against the wall, hoping my lightheadedness looked like it was from his strength rather than the hug itself.

"To be honest? Yes. She had another human sent to death only half a year ago. Of course," He mused, "he was a thief who tried to sneak into the city in search of gold." I shivered, glad that he didn't give the specifics of the execution.

"But! That's not why I'm here! I'd like to show our new guest around the city, if she'd be willing to join someone such as me." He said with a teasing grin and attempted to bow low. Now, Darylle is a large man, and we were standing in a very small foyer, so his bow was stopped midway by my shoulder. He seemed to stiffen when his forehead landed there and didn't move for a single moment that lasted both forever and no time at all. Then he was upright again and laughing at his clumsiness. Letting out the breath that had sucked into my lungs at the unexpected event, I led him to the kitchen and made sure he was given a plate of food before I left to find something to wear.

My closet was tiny, but that was to be expected. With so much room put into the rest of the beautiful home, they had to run out at some point. The racks were lined with amazing dresses, all extremely bright and covered in sparkly things. I hated them. Frowning, I searched through the array of clothing, concerned at the lack of necklines. This closet had obviously been used by a woman older than I. Finally, near the very back, I found a dress I could tolerate. Its neckline was decent, and the sleeves got wider at the wrist. Its silky material was a red so pale it was almost pink, and its waist was wrapped twice around with a breathtaking line of embroidered roses, leaves, and thorns that trailed down and ended just above where my thigh would be. There were no other decorations. It didn't need any more. It was perfect. Dressing quickly, I brushed through my sleep-tangled hair until it was straight and shining, then washed my face in the sink until it was bright and clean. Satisfied with my appearance, I slipped on a pair of red slippers that seemed to go with the dress and returned to the kitchen.

Dead silence met me.

Gulping and extremely self conscious, I fidgeted with one of my sleeves and bore their stares for as long as I could stand, then turned and started to all but run back to my room. Obviously, I didn't look nearly as decent as I'd thought. Dare's warm hand slid into view and covered mine just as it closed around the door handle.

"Forgive us, fair Julianna." He murmered close to my ear, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. "We simply were not ready to be presented with such beauty this morning." At this he pulled me around and led me back into the light. I was in total shock by then, unable to do anything but obey dumbly. No one had ever called me beautiful before, let alone "fair Julianna". Lorella was there then, my brain processed slowly, squeeling and jumping up and down as she poured compliments and advice from her tiny lips. She'd taken her second pause for breath when I finally came to terms with what they were saying. They thought I was beautiful. Whether I was or not, the idea made me smile. It spread from ear to ear, pushing my cheeks up. I hadn't smiled a true smile in years, but there it was. Then I laughed, loud and carefree, because it felt good.

"Dare, let's go, mmk? I'm desperate to visit the floating houses and meet the elves flying on wings!" I finally said into the silence of Lorella's third pause for air. He nodded, the grin on his face nearly as wide as my own. Bending at the waist without hitting anyone this time Darylle offered his arm, and I took it with a prayer that I wasn't blushing. Lorella waved us off, insisting that she stay behind and make the house more homey.

"It's too showcase! You don't feel like you're in a home!" She grumped as she rearanged cups in a cupboard. Chuckling, Darylle and I left her to her own devices and took turns climbing down the ladder. Once on the ground, he offered his arm again, but I hesitated this time. Reality had finally hit me. I was a human and Darylle a Elvin prince. Yes, he'd been placed in charge of me, but that didn't necessarilly mean that it was ok to go around with him as if we were the closest friends. Seeming to read my mind, and he might have, Darylle took my hand in his and firmly but gently lay it on his arm.

"You've nothing to fear, Jewls. I will protect you with my life." His lips were smiling teasingly, but his eyes were very, very serious as he promised this. I nodded, trying to unscramble my thoughts. How could he be so dazzlingly handsome all the time without seeming to try? The walk through the gardens was a relieving distraction from the man beside me, so I focused on its beauty. Every flower sparkled and shown in the sunlight, gleaming with life and brilliance. It wasn't hard to pretend to be sidetracked by them. At the entrance of the garden stood a man, tall and thin. His hair was so entricately laced with flowers and leaves that it looked as if they were growing there in place of it. The closer we got to him, the more apparent that this was in fact true. His skin glowed with the same magic that gave the flowers their vitality and had a distinct green tinge to it. He looked like he'd been grown from the grown rather than in a womb.

"Hello." He said softly. His voice lifted and fell like a summer breeze and his dark eyes seemed to look straight through you, as if he was focused on something else. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the keeper of the gardens and the man who'd given me the nectar of the day before.

"Hi." I answered shyly, somehow sensing that he was speaking to me even though he wasn't focused on anything in particular.

"Did the gift help? My magic is very potent to humans. It seemed a necessary action." He breezed. Deep in his voice lurked the wild danger of the untamed, but mixed in just as equally was a gentle kindness. If the queen was the jungle personified, then this man was Mother Nature's only son. He was like a great cat, at once beautiful and infinitely dangerous. Something in me connected with him, though I couldn't pinpoint how that might be.

"Yes, sir. It was delicious, too." I gave him as graceful a curtsy as I was able and smiled gratefully. He nodded, a tiny smile lifting the corner of his lips, then he walked towards me. Even his walk was like that of a plant. He swayed and dipped, twitched and leaned. It was fascinating to watch. All too soon he was standing before me, staring for the first time into my eyes. A power so deep and old poured from them that I could feel it humming in the air surrounding him. Without a word, he lifted one long fingered hand and pressed his index and middle fingers to my forehead. Instantly, my vision went white. Vaguely, I could hear Darylle cry out in alarm, but then I was gone to the world. A bottomless pool of white surrounded me, holding me aloft with feather light touches. Before me stood the keeper, his face somehow younger and older than before. Here his skin was brown with bark and seemed to be made of wood. His eyes were acorns, his hair an even more intricate array of flowers and vines.

"Julianna." His voice sounded from a mouth that didn't move. "My empress and sister has marked you, and so shall I. Her mark can only state you as untouchable, but mine will offer you a gift. In this world, even the humans are stronger than you. Your people have grown soft with generations of luxury and little hardship, but here the humans work for everything. You will not last long in this place without the power I am bestowing upon you." As he spoke a tickling started on the skin of my right arm and across my forehead, but I didn't know how to make my eyes look. All that existed was the being before me and the white that held us.

"Take this and live well here, Julianna. Fulfill the prophecy of 3000 years past. Become the woman you are destined to be. Find the love that has been awaiting your arrival. And last of all, learn to love yourself and accept the loss of your mother. You'll never be able to be happy unless you do." His voice echoed in my mind, pounded in my eardrums, whispered in my heart. Finally, the whiteness began to fade away, letting the world return slowly with its passing. The keeper was gone and in his place was an extremely distraught Darylle. At some point I must have collapsed, because I was laying in his arms in an crumpled heap.

"Jewls? Julianna! Come back to me!" He was shouting at my face. It was too loud. Shaking my head, I tried to sit up and calm the pounding in my brain, but he wouldn't let me. "You're not going anywhere until you can tell me your ok! And don't lie! I'll read your mind if I have to Julianna!" For some reason I thought this was funny. Little bursts of laughter bubbled up from my gut, shaking me to the core. I didn't care if it sounded near histeria. Whatever the keeper had done to me had stollen my strength, robbed me of the ability to think straight.

"Jewls..?" He sounded frightened now, which sobered my laughter. A little more grounded, I focused on his frown and lifted my right hand to press the corner of his lip into a smile, only to stop and stare at it in confusion. My hand was encased in a sort of glove-like growth. It stopped just past my nuckles and clung to my skin with the kind of snugness that made it obvious that it wasn't going to come off unless I cut it. Taking my sleeve in my other hand, I pushed it back to reveal that the strange glove travelled all the way up my arm to my shoulder before branching out and ending just short of my neck. It was made of some kind of green plant, and it pulsed like it was alive, was _warm._ By now my mind had returned along with my strength and the ability to add two and two together. This was the gift that he'd spoken of.

"Your forehead..." Darylle whispered. I lifted my right arm, amazed at how fluidly the thing bended and moved without any discomfort, and touched the skin underneath my bangs. A circlet of the same pulsing warmth was wrapped tightly around my head. It wasn't so tight as to cut off circulation or be uncomfortable, but it would have to be cut as well should I want it off. I could feel without seeing that the center framed the mark given by the empress. _His sister._

"Well..." I whispered shakily. "He told me it was a gift to protect me from this world." I couldn't remember anything else. It was like my memory had been wiped clean. I knew he'd said more than that, but there was simply nothing there. Darylle nodded slowly, his face tight with anger.

"He could have done it without taking your mind to the White Waters. You might have been destroyed! It is not a place for humans!" He let me sit up then as he seethed quietly to himself. Now that I'd returned to myself, I felt absolutely amazing. Every inch of me longed to _do_ something. I obeyed without protest. With this world it was best to go with what your gut told you. Standing up on only slightly shaky legs, I lifted my hemn and raced the last few yards to the gate and back again, laughing almost unwillingly at the stunned expression on Dare's face. I would worry about what had just happened later. What mattered now was seeing the city, meeting the people. Elves didn't like humans in general, much less living in their capital. To show my innocence and sincere want to be home was of utmost importance. I didn't know until much later that it was the keeper's magic that was pushing my panic and fear to the back of my mind. If he hadn't I'd have still been fretting about the thing on my arm and head and not thinking about what was truly important. Surviving this city.

"Let's go! It was a gift meant to help me, so it can't be anything bad! I wanna see the city!" I only had to force my excitement a little bit. Darylle, still a little dumbfounded at my sudden return of peppiness, stood and offered his arm again. I took it without letting myself think about it. The keeper had wanted me to live. It was about time that I started letting myself. I'd lived in a hole for years and was finally ready to leave that behind. Again, I would learn of his magic later.

We walked around the castle rather than going through it, which saved us an hour of walking Darryle informed me. I thought that was ridiculous and said so.

"The architect let his imagination run away with him." Was his embarassed explanation.

Once at the gate, we baid a farewell to Marque and his grunting companion and headed towards the twinkling lights of Parys. Everything there was so alive! People bustled around me laiden with arms full of scrolls or ropes full of recently hunted animals. The moment we passed through the gates and stepped onto its streets, everything became like a dream. Darylle led me to stall after stall in the market that was the main street. Jewels the size of my thumb nail adorned a pair of earrings I had to flat out refuse in order to stop Darylle from purchasing them for me. Everything was so overwhelming. Booths brimming with breads and sweets lined one small section of the street. I let him buy me a honey roll there. That was a bit less expensive than emerald earrings. We'd been roaming around for over an hour when something, a smell, tugged at my nose. It was soft, almost unnoticable, but my senses locked onto it in an instant. I didn't know what the sweet aroma was, but I had to find it. Pulling Darylle's arm gently, I indicated the direction I wanted to go, and he followed without protest. The scent took me down the main road a long while until I found its source. Before me was a small, unassuming stall full of small trinkets and pieces of jewelry. The old woman behind the counter looked up from her needlework in astonishment.

"_You_ found me? A human?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed. Not knowing how to answer her, I glanced up at Darylle. The look of wonder and shock on his face only made my confusion grow, so I looked back at the woman and simply nodded.

"Very well, pick something you like. I have a special today. The first thing you choose is free." She announced, waving her hand across the items in question. Blinking in only increased uncertainty, I stepped forward and looked at the many things bedecking the stall. Here the smell was overpowering, and yet I couldn't pinpoint its origin. It called to me. Closing my eyes, I tried to blank my mind of all but the scent. It was coming from the left side of the counter. Opening my eyes to survey it's contents, my sight latched onto a small glass bottle. It was the simplest of several sitting there. Its only decoration was a short blue ribbon that was thread-bare and torn. This was the one. Reaching out, I carefully picked it up and lifted it to the sunlight. The liquid it held was an irridescent purple, and reflected little lavender dots across my skin and green arm.

"You have chosen well, child. The potion is yours." The woman's voice had grown lighter. Startled from my admiration by her change in demeanor, I looked down at her. A satisfied grin was spread across her suddenly much younger face. In an instant, she'd gone from a haggard old maid to a beautiful woman no older than I. I'm ashamed to admit that I gaped at her openmouthed. She laughed at my expression. It bounced and bubbled like running water.

"Dear child, do you not know what you possess? That is the very essence of life. It will heal the most horrendous wounds, cure the strongest poisons, lighten the darkest hearts, but you cannot use it on yourself. It will do as it did to me. This is the form I had four hundred years ago when I was its keeper. I wanted to be beautiful and fell to the temptation of tasting it on my lips. It cripled my body, ravaged me with wrinkles and weakness. Worst of all, it made me immortal. I was forced to live all this time and search for its new owner. The need has haunted me like a fog, and now I am free...finally free..." As she spoke, her voice became weaker and weaker, until it faded out all together. As I watched, unable to move, she lay her head on the counter and sighed a huge sigh, then slowly glistened away. With her went her stall and every false trinket in it until there was nothing left. For a long, long moment, I only stood there staring at the spot she'd been only seconds ago, then turned and buried my face in Darylle's chest. Not expecting this, he didn't respond for a moment, then his arms folded around me.

"I killed her." I whispered in shame and regret.

"What?" Darylle asked in surprise, pushing me back to look at me. "You didn't kill her, Julianna, you saved her. She'd been cursed for four hundred years, forever watching and waiting as person after person tried and failed to choose the correct item. You set her soul free."

"I did..?" I asked feebily, a small smile starting to dawn on my face. Darylle grinned and nodded, squeezing my shoulders approavingly. This reminded me of what I'd just done, and I hastilly pulled away as my face heated in embarassement. It was probably just my imagination going wild that made seem as if he was reluctant to let go.

"So...what do I do with it..?" I asked softly, trying to distract myself. The little bottle was something I didn't want to lose. Not after all the hardship its previous owner had gone through.

"Come with me." He ordered, grabbing my hand and pulling me back towards the busier part of the market. His hand was warm around mine and so large it completely encased it. I hated my heart for speeding up at his touch. Not wanting him to see how he effected me, I let him lead me without resisting to a shed sparkling with necklaces and bracelettes. Letting me go, he waved his hand at the display and the elf standing behind the counter. Every inch of his face radiated contempt at the sight of me, but he didn't tell me to leave. Swallowing under the weight of his hateful gaze, I glanced over the many pieces, searching for one that looked cheap. After a long while, my eyes alighted on a simple gold chain laying in the corner. Very slowly, I reached forward and lifted it. I didn't want to give the man any reason to hate me further. It was beautiful and masterfully made.

"This one." I said to Darylle, holding it up for his inpection. Nodding in approval, he showed the necklace to the owner. His eyes narrowed as his eyes flashed with something unnameable.

"The human has an eye for craftsmanship. Very few would choose this from among the other more showy pieces." He grunted, giving me a compliment I never would have expected. "It's three thousand parzilles." My mouth dropped at the price. The honey roll had only been two! A hand closed over my mouth before I could protest and another hand offered two bills and several coins to the man.

"She absolutely hates to be given gifts I have learned." Darylle said in his most princely voice and laughed a tight laugh. "Keep the remainder." Without letting me go, he left the very happy man to his work. It wasn't until we were more than a hundred yards that I got fed up with this and bit his finger just hard enough to make a point. He jumped and released me immediately. Giving him a pointed look, I turned away and took the bottle in one hand and the chain in the other, wondering how I would put the two into one. To my astonishment, the moment they touched, they did it for me. The bottle shed its tattered ribbon and grew an intricate loop that the chain wound itself around. When they'd finished moving, I was left with a breathtakingly wonderous necklace. Unclipping the clasp, I reached behind my neck and began trying to hook it together. Darylle's fingers took the ends from me, catching me off guard with the softness of the touch. With one hand, he swept my hair out of the way then brought it back and placed the little link inside the clasp. This done, he put my hair back as it was and turned me around. I'd long lost the ability to think straight at that point.

"Beautiful..." He whispered, but he wasn't looking at the vial nestled on my chest. I thought, really thought, that he was going to kiss me then, but a voice cut into the moment.

"Hello, brother. I see you've been giving Julianna a tour of the market. Has she seen any more of the city?" Prince Jerryd stood only a pace or so behind Darylle and didn't seem to know that I could see his disliking expression.

"Is this her then?" A second voice sounded from our right. All three of us turned to see a small group of Elvin men step out from behind a house. Each carried a sword or dagger in their hand and were eyeing me with hatrid. My heart stopped at the sight of them. Every one of them was huge and covered in tattoos. One, much to my terror, was not an elf at all, but the same orange-skinned beast that Grudge was. Seen from the front, the creature was more terrifying than anything I'd ever seen. Barbs covered every inch of him, making him look like a humanoid see urchin. On his forehead was a single horn the length of my forearm. One look at it told me that it could gut me in a moment. The monster stepped forward, apparently having been the one who'd spoken.

"It this the filthy human?" He grunted again, his claymore raising menacingly. Darylle and Jerryd immediately stepped in front of me, drawing their swords.

"Leave. Now. She is marked by both the empress and the keeper. Harm her and you'll die a thousand deaths." Darylle's voice cut through the air with a power and strength I'd never heard before. It cackled with magic. The beast only laughed slowly, throwing his head back in delight.

"Foolish princeling. Your marks have no hold over me. I am not of your race." He announced, then launched himself at Prince Jerryd. Sinking to my knees, I could only watch helplessly as he was thrown down and Darylle lept to assist him. None of us noticed the other men sneaking around the fight until the biggest caught me around the waist and lifted me in the air like I was weightless. Screaming and kicking, I desperately tried to free myself, but he would have none of that. Locking my arms to my side with one arm, he pressed his sword to my throat, drawing blood. I went limp, not wanting to give him reason to do more.

"Stop! I have the creature at my mercy! Stop, or I will kill her!" The elf screamed at the two princes. He didn't seem to be worried about death either, even though he was an elf and therefore very much bound by their customs. Both men froze in place, twin looks of horror on their faces. The monster took the chance to disarm them and had the remaining two men tie them at the wrists. This done, they placed their weapons at their throats.

"No! Don't hurt them!" I cried, too worried for their safety to think of the knife at my flesh. It cut into me as I struggled, but I didn't stop. "You have me! You have me! Set them free!" As my determination to get loose heightened, a tingling began in my right arm, reminding me of my gift. In one day, I'd managed to gain the favor of the keeper and save an old woman from her torment. I couldn't let that be in vain! I _would_ save them! With a popping sound, spikes burst from my right arm, piercing the flesh of the man holding me still. Screaming, he threw me away from him, cradeling his injured limb to his chest. In an instant, I was up. Memories of hunting and weeks in the forests around home came to me in flashes, reminding my body of the nimbleness it once had. Launching myself at the bleeding man, I slammed my hand into his face. Before he could react, I thought _sword_, and sliced his shoulder open with the razor sharp blade that was now growing from the back of my hand. He went down, bleeding profusely. Whirling, I set upon the beast himself, not letting myself think of the barbs covering his skin. The two men holding the princes at bay stayed put and watched as I dodged and weaved away from the much bigger, and therefore much slower, man's attacks. With every avoidance, I sliced a tiny cut somewhere on his torso, shoulders, arms, and legs. By the time several minutes had passed, he was covered in cuts that bled a dark green blood. Roaring, he set upon me with a new fierceness, blind fury on his features. My heart froze at the sight of my end, but then an arrow lodged itself deep inside the creature's chest, stopping him short. Jumping at the chance, I threw my sword arm forward into his heart, shocked at how deep it went before sticking. The monster wrapped him arms around me in a death hug as he fell, stabbing me in the back and arms with a thousand needles. If I hadn't brought my hand up in time, I'd have died by impalement against his chest. As it was, my entire left arm and hand were pierced with the little stingers. For an eternity, I lay there on top of the dying monster's chest in an unnameable agony. Then, slowly, so slowly, my world faded to darkness.

I welcomed the quiet relief as if it were an old friend.

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**Well there ya goo! My longest chapter for this story so far! I hope you liked it! AHAHAHAHAAA! **


	9. Ch 9 Do I Even Want To Go Home?

**Sorry for the cliffy! Hope you don't hate me too much!**

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**Ch. 9

Waking up was sudden and so surreal I couldn't tell up from down. Magic surrounded me in a huge bubble of power and silky touches. My eyes were closed, but I could feel the shape and size of the thing as if through a sixth sense. Even as I floated suspended in space taking this all in, I felt it stitching me back together. My skin tingled so strongly it felt as if it were alive, wriggling and moving around trying to free itself from the muscle and bone it was forced to blanket. Just to see if I could, I opened my eyes.

The bubble I felt was exactly that. I was actually drifting a solid ten inches off the ground in a rippling sphere of what appeared to be golden water. As an experiment, I lifted my hand to my face. It felt like trying to pull my hand through cold molasses but I managed it. As I watched in fascination, the last few of dozens of puncture wounds I had suffered in the monster's last breath closed over. Whatever kind of magic this was, it was unlike any I'd yet experienced. It wasn't overpowering like Prince Jerryd's and didn't fill me to my toes like the hermit's. This hugged me, nestled close, and tickled against my skin. It gave me the impression of a puppy saying hello to a much loved owner. I smiled in the slow speed the thick magic set and lifted my gaze to the room I was in.

The bubble gave the world a curved look and yellow tint, but I could see almost everything clearly. The room was very cluttered but not dirty and the entire wall before me was covered in a giant mosaic. It reminded me of Darylle, much to my surprise. It seemed like the kind of room he'd me comfortable in.

My skin was calming down now, settling back into place, and I could feel that the spell was reaching its end. Sure enough, in what seemed like ten minutes or so, the sphere melted away from the bottom up and gently deposited me onto my feet. My legs, whole but weak, were only able to hold me for a moment before I crumpled into a heap on the floor. At least, that was what would have happened if a pare of strong arms hadn't caught be. Tilting my head back, I was greeted by a smiling Darylle. Laughing at my look of shock, he lifted me in his arms and walked me over to his bed, as this was indeed his room.

"You are to rest until you've regained your strength, little warrior." He ordered in a soft voice. Unable to refuse a smile like his, I nodded and almost immediately fell into a dreamless sleep.

When I woke up I was alone and under the covers. I didn't remember falling asleep in a nightgown either. Shrugging this off as the kind of kindness Darylle was good at, I pulled the blanket away and slid off the bed. My legs only wobbled a little bit as they took my weight, which I took as a good sign. I'd only taken two steps when the first hunger pang hit my stomach. I was starving! Looking around, I was grateful to find a plate of food waiting for me on his tiny dining table. It was nestled in a nook between two stacks of books and scrolls. Picking my way around little piles of odds and ends, I sat and dug in, not minding in the least that the food was luke warm. I ate and ate until the plate was almost clean and I felt as if I'd burst, then stood and picked up the dress that had been left for me on the nightstand. It was a simple orange sundress that had a pretty pansy embroidered onto the shoulder. Changing quickly, I slipped on the flats that went with it and began exploring.

Darylle's chambers were just as cluttered as his bedroom, I soon found. No one, not even a servant, was there to greet me. I shrugged, glad to be able to snoop alone. I refrained from getting into anything that looked personal, but I couldn't help picking up some books and scrolls and trying to read their contents. For the first time, I realized that whatever magic made it possible to communicate verbally didn't translate books. After the third one I gave up and went around straightening the piles instead. I was sure that I'd save at least one maid from a hurt forehead by righting the wobbly pillars.

I was halfway finished with my self-given mission when Darylle appeared. He took one look at me shaking under an armful of thick volumes and about fell over with laughter. Embarrassed and more than a little annoyed, I finished with the pile I'd been working on and crossed my arms in indignation.

"Well someone's got to make sure no one gets killed walking around in here! You obviously won't!" I said, hating that my face was aflame. He only laughed harder. Deciding that I didn't want to listen to someone else laughing at my expense, I turned and walked into the kitchen. Unfortunately, I could still hear him. It occurred to me then that I should feel uncomfortable about waking up in his home, sleeping in his bed, and staying there after waking up the second time, but I felt at home. His home was a lot like my own. Organized chaos, Jamie had always been fond of saying.

In the other room the laughter calmed down to little chuckles and finally stopped altogether. I shook my head, perplexed as to why it had been that funny. When his footsteps came near, I turned around so that he'd get my back when he came in. His approach stopped in the doorway, and silence filled the room. Something about the quiet bothered me. It didn't hold the lightheartedness it had a few minutes ago. I swallowed, starting to sweat under the feeling of his eyes on my back. Finally, unable to take it anymore, I turned around to ask him what his problem was. To my shock, he was only a foot away from me, waving come closer so quietly that I hadn't heard him.

"I thought you were dead, Jewls. I thought you were dead, and I couldn't do anything so save you." He whispered in a cracked voice before crushing me to him in a sudden embrace. Winded and unable to pull my thoughts together, I stared into his chest. His hand shook as it lifted to stroke my hair, and I jumped when his cheek rested on the top of my head. At some point my arms betrayed me and wrapped themselves around his waist. He sighed at this, hugging me even tighter. I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent, and a small part of me wondered if I should come close to dying more often.

There was no way to tell how long we stayed like that, but when he let go it was far too soon.

"Forgive me, Jewls. I know how much you dislike being close to people. I will never do that again, I promise." He said stiffly, his eyes unreadable and flashing a dizzying array of colors in rapid succession. Unable to speak for fear I'd beg him to hold me for just a moment longer, I nodded and ran from the room. No, to my shame, I _sprinted_. I didn't stop to think about where I was going because my thoughts were centered on only one thing. I had fallen for Darylle. Hard. All this time I'd been lying to myself, but I couldn't hide it anymore. It was far too late for that.

Darylle didn't follow me out, which I was grateful for. I didn't want him to see me crying. For my entire life I'd prided myself in being logical, level headed, and smart, yet here I was letting myself fall for a fairy tale prince that could never return my feelings. I didn't even know how much longer I would be staying here! I was an idiot. I was the biggest, most enormous, whopping idiot that ever lived. When I finally stopped walking and looked at my surroundings, I found myself at the garden's gate. Seeing the beautiful flowers brought to mind the keeper's gift and what he had said to me. Suddenly, I remembered something else.

"Find the love that has been awaiting your arrival." He had said. Did that mean that he'd known I would fall for Darylle? Was what I felt love? No, it wasn't, but it could be if given the chance to grow. Right now it was stuck in the pivotal middle stage. It was more than a passing crush but not quite there yet. Did it mean that Darylle may feel the same? I shook my head furiously at that, angry with myself for even voicing the question in my own mind. It was silly to even think it. Darylle could never possibly care for me. It didn't make sense.

Footsteps interrupted my mental battle. Approaching was one of the men who'd held Darylle and Jerryd hostage. I froze in mid-step for the span of a hear beat then lowered into a crouch and thought my sword to my arm. The man immediately threw up his hands and backed away a couple steps.

"Stop! I mean you no harm!" He cried, falling to his knees and spreading his hands wide. This exposed his whole body to me. I hesitated, thrown by this show of vulnerability. The man took the chance to keep talking.

"You fought well against Burn! You have proven yourself above the rest of your kind! I ask your forgiveness, though I do not deserve it, and offer my loyalty as your protector. Until my debt has been repaid, my life is yours to command." He kneeled to me gracefully, offering his sword in a flourish of steel. For a second or two, I stared dumbfoundedly, but then I wiped my watery face and accepted the blade. The man visibly relaxed at this and stood.

"What is your name?" I asked, offering his sword back, but he shook his head.

"My name is Norn. Please do not give that back. It is yours now. I will forge another." He bowed so low his forehead was only inches from the grown then turned and took his leave. I stared after him with a green blade growing from my right arm and a steel sword glistening in my left, then willed the plant to retract itself and completed the walk to my treehouse home. Lorella was there, sleeping on the love seat. Smiling at her, I placed a blanket over her still form and took in all the work she'd done on the house since I'd seen it last. It was amazing what one tiny woman could do. It really looked and felt like home, but I didn't really pay attention to the fine details. Remarkably, after all the sleeping I'd just done, I was exhausted again. I didn't even change clothes before passing out on top of my covers.

It was very dark outside when I came to, but I knew from the tingling in my muscles that I wouldn't be able to sleep again for a while. To quell the itching in my bones, I stood and wandered into the kitchen for a snack. On the kitchen counter was a small note written in beautiful handwriting. Unfortunately, I didn't know what it said. Sighing, I decided to have Lorella translate tomorrow and cut myself a slice of cheese and poured a cup of milk. That done, I was at a loss for what else I could do to pass the time. It was far too dark to draw, and I didn't know where anything was anyway. It only took me a few minutes to decide my best bet was the go for a walk.

Finishing my small snack in a matter of moments, I pulled my flats on and opened the front door. The air outside was warm, much to my delight. Climbing down the ladder, I turned and laid eyes on the garden after dark for the first time. Every leave, pedal, and vine glowed as if full of glow-stick liquid. It made everything look eery and romantic at the same time. Walking along the path in a happy daze, I didn't notice the shadow behind me until the hand closed onto my shoulder.

With a strangled cry I tore away from the stranger's hold and spun around to face him. Darylle stood before me, his hands up in surrender.

"W-why are you here?" I managed to gasp as I tried unsuccessfully to calm down. Already going faster than before from my fright, it was now running like a race horse at the arrival of Dare.

"I am in charge of your protection, Jewls. That means I must watch your house at night in case someone tried to get inside. When you came out I had to follow." He said in a strange voice. Everything about him in that moment was strange. For one, he wouldn't look me in the eye.

"Are you ok..?" I asked hesitantly, worried that my behavior was the cause of this. He nodded once, his eyes focused on some point just over my head. He held himself as he did to the citizens, like a prince. With a jolt I understood what was going on. I'd run from him, and now he was treating me as if I were just another subject out to get something from him. Something about that realization snapped a part of myself awake that had been asleep my entire life. I never really found a name for the feeling that made me do what I did next, but it was something akin to self-confidence.

Reaching out slowly, I touched his jaw with two fingers. He jumped, his eyes snapping to mine. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to pull away, I cupped his cheek with my whole hand, marveling at how solid his face was.

"You are my friend, Dare, and I had no right to run from you like I did. When you...did what you did...I realized something. It's stupid and unwanted, so I won't tell you what it-" I didn't even get to finish the sentence before his lips were on mine. For a whole second I just stood there like an idiot, then my traitorous mouth started kissing him back. His lips were surprisingly soft and yielding as they moved against mine, and I found myself wishing with all my heart that we would share more. All too soon, he pulled away and wrapped his arms around my waist before resting his forehead against mine.

"Oh Jewls..." He whispered my name like he was holding a precious flower. "How I have longed to do that... How I have longed to kiss the lips of my own little warrior..." He grinned into my eyes with a gaze of darkest sapphire. My insides were long melted to mush at this point, so I could only whisper that I was glad he did like the moron I am.

"But..." I finally managed to say after we'd been standing like that long enough for me to pull back together a little bit. "You're a prince...and an elf...and I am nothing but a human...how could this ever work..?" At this he grinned.

"I am the prince, Jewls. That means I may choose whomever I like, and no one can do a single thing about it. I am not asking you to marry me just yet, but I would like to ask your permission to begin courting." He said, effectively knocking my feet out from under me again. It made sense though. Of course they didn't have boyfriends and girlfriends here. No, it was courting and then marriage. I didn't know what to think of that. If I let him court me then it would mean I was giving up on going home. Did I want that..? Did I want to get married at the age of 18..? A huge part of me said yes to both of those questions, but the remainder worried about the prospect of that. Still, the keeper had told me love was waiting. Maybe this was my chance to finally find a home I was happy in. Maybe I could make my mother proud here.

"I...need some time to think all this through...if you're willing to give me that... In my world we don't get married so young, and I don't know if I'm even ready to give up on going back there, yet. I want to stay here, to let you...c-court...me, but I need to think. Alright? It isn't too much to ask is it..?" Warm fingers lifted my gaze from the little loose string it had been trained on to meet his. In it was understanding and acceptance.

"I would not ask you to give up your world for mine lightly, little warrior. I will wait for as long as you need me to, but allow me just one last kiss before I return to being your friend." He asked, almost shyly. Grinning, I nodded emphatically and felt myself melt all over again as our lips met a second time.

Whatever the future held for me, I prayed that it would hold him in its folds.

* * *

**OMG! YAYAYYAYAYAYAY FOR CHAPPIES WITH SMOOCHING! DID YOU LIKE IT? I know it's shorter than the others...but as I did my other story, I had to give those two a chapter just for them. It was needed in order to build their relationship! PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	10. Ch 10 Developments

Ch. 10

The following morning brought with it my first panic attack.

Darylle had kissed me! I had kissed _him!_

Pacing my room, I relived the conversation over and over in my head, pouring over every detail. He had openly said that he wanted me for his wife. _His wife!_ What had seemed perfectly acceptable while surrounded by moonlight and magic was now more terrifying than anything I'd yet faced. How could I possibly think about marrying at my age?

Somewhere in the middle of my horror, Lorella woke up. After only one look at my face she sat me down and ordered me to spill the beans. I did so in a rush, feeling my face catch fire when I recounted the kisses. She all but had a heart attack when she heard about them and had me pause in the telling to describe exactly how they felt and whether I kissed him back or not. That in itself took an extra half hour, so by the time I'd given her every nugget of knowledge I had to give the sun had fully risen in the sky.

"Wow. You'd be a princess! Wow!" She finally breathed, sitting back and shaking her head in disbelief. I saw it in a different view. How could a human like me ever hope for something between Darylle and me to actually work out?

"Listen, I don't want to give up on my world yet. The empress's scholars are searching for a way as we speak. If they find it, then I _have_ to go back. Even if it's to say goodbye. I _have_ to, Ella." I spoke barely above a whisper, scared that she would be angry with me, but she only looked sad.

"I would, too, if it were me in your place. It's your home, Jewls, and neither Darylle nor I would stop you from returning. Whatever you choose when the time comes, we will support you." She said softly, squeezing my hand. I smiled, relieved and happy to have such a great friend behind me, and squeezed back.

"Now! We much find something beautiful for you to wear for your prince!" Lorella exclaimed, an expectant grin breaking across her face. I laughed and shook my head.

"I'm not wearing any of those ridiculous dresses! They're all so indecent!" I said firmly but with a grin. At this she only nodded sagely and tugged my hand until I stood.

"Let me show you the second closet." She said and dragged me off before I could reply. I followed without resistance, completely willing to let her have her way.

Several minutes later I was sitting on the little stool before the mirror in my room wearing a beautiful pale red dress that accented my figure without making me look sleazy. I was as in love with it as I'd been with the other. A slight tug brought my attention to the small woman currently curling and pinning my hair. This had been our deal. She'd make sure that all my clothing was approved by me first, and I'd make sure there was always enough time in the morning for her to do as she pleased to my hair. The mess of black on my head was too long and hard to keep tame anyway, so I was content with the arrangement. Already half of my hair was sitting at the back of my head in a complicated trail of curls and flowers freshly borrowed from the garden. I'd been aghast at the idea of picking such beautiful things, but Lorella had placated my misgivings by simply holding out a hand and saying "please". The purple and blue flowers had removed themselves from the others seemingly of their own choice.

The girl looking back at me in the mirror was a stranger but one I'd gladly get to know. Everything about me was different now. My skin, courtesy of the many lotions and oils in the bathroom, was silky soft and sun-touched, my hair light and shiny, and my hands, though still rough from years of work and scraps from the jungle, at least appeared smooth. I'd never in my life felt so beautiful or so at peace. The massaging brush in my hair wasn't a bad touch either.

"Done." Lorella said in satisfaction only ten minutes later. I grinned at her work. My hair, while intricate and beautiful, was still pulled back from my face just the way I liked it. It was amazing how well my new sister knew me already.

"Now what?" I asked as I stood and pulled on my slippers. Another thing I loved about this world is that no one was required to wear anything harder to walk in than riding boots.

"We go find Darylle and show him just how much of a catch you are!" She enthused with a happy grin. Suddenly I wasn't feeling so content.

"Um, is that a good idea? Maybe I should find something else to wear, or not go out at all. Yes, I like that one! Let's not go out at all!" I said in a panicked rush. This was too much! I knew nothing of making a guy fall for me. I didn't even know how to flirt! Why had I gone along with this crazy woman?

"Jewls! Calm down!" She cried and shook me. I gulped and tried to do as she told me. "He'd think you were beautiful no matter what you wore! I suspect he first thought you so back when you were covered in grime and wearing nothing but other-worldly, torn clothing! This is to show him that you are willing to try and be his! You are, aren't you?" Her eyes bored into my own as she spoke her last question. Was I? Would I give up my best friend, the only home I'd ever known, for a man I'd known for little more than a week? Two kisses and a half promise weren't much to go on. I needed to take this slow, for both our sakes. After all, who knew what would come to pass?

"I am willing to try, but I must be cautious. You know why…" I said quietly, not quite able to look her in the eye. I feel more than saw her nod since my eyes were still down and her hands still on my shoulders.

"That is enough for now. No one will ask you for more." Lorella said gently. "Now, we must go out and meet him. We will stop and speak to anyone we see as well. The people need to see you as one of them rather than a visiting human. That would be important even if Prince Darylle hated you."

Taking a deep breath, I lifted my gaze and set my mouth in a small smile. I had to try. I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't.

The garden, when we got outside and descended the ladder, seemed different than earlier this morning, less brilliant. Confused at the subtle change in atmosphere, I leaned over and peered at the nearest flower. The white and yellow blossom was beautiful, perfect, but something about it wasn't right.

"Jewls..?" Lorella inquired in confusion. I waved at her to wait a moment and carefully lifted the petals. Tiny black spots peppered the stem and leaves. Even as I watched they grew slowly bigger. My heart dropped to my stomach and then jumped into my throat.

"Lorella!" I gasped. "Something is wrong! We must find the Keeper!" Without waiting for her response, I took off running. He wasn't at the gate, so I turned right on a whim and kept going. High walls of flowers flew by on either side of me as I moved deeper into the gardens until they gave away suddenly to a three-way crossway. Slowing to a stop I spun in place, at a loss. Which way should I go? Something in my gut told me that my time was running out.

"Come on Julianna, do what mom always told you to do when you're lost." I spoke to myself in a whisper and closed my eyes. As a child my imaginative mind had had a bad habit of running ahead of me. I'd go into a panic and forget where I was, what I'd been about to do. Mother had always sat calmly beside me and whispered instructions in my ear.

"Close your eyes, breathe. What does your heart say, babygirl?" I did this now as the memory of her voice rang in my ears.

"Left." I breathed and took off running again. Behind me I could hear Lorella's desperate calls. She must have not seen where I'd turned. For a passing moment I prayed I'd be able to find a way back, but then I pushed it aside. Now was simply not the time. As I ran the walls of flowers became walls of thorns that pricked my skin and tore at my dress and hair. Still I ran on, all thoughts of Darylle and Lorella gone. I was on autopilot, taking turns and choosing paths as my feelings demanded. When my mind was in such a state it wandered, touching on random questions and events. Now it played back the small amount of time I'd spent in this world.

Already I was being hunted by enemies, had saved an old woman from a terrible curse, fought and killed a giant, and let the people here place a mark on my heart. On top of that my right arm was more plant than flesh now, something I was a bit worried about. Every day brought a new wonder or terror. When would I have one that was uneventful? Now the Keeper was in trouble, and I had the gall to think that I may be of help rather than going to find someone more suitable. Yet my feet did not stop. By now I was deep in the maze that was the Keeper's dwelling.

On and on I ran while the hedge of thorns grew steadily taller and narrower. When the prickly growths were so close that I was speed walking sideways, getting cut and sliced with every step, I began to lose hope. Then, so quickly that I continued on sideways for several more steps before stumbling to a stop, the hallway became a clearing. In the center of the little circle of grass was the Keeper. Bleeding and dirty, I ran to the crumpled heap that he was. With shaking hands, I carefully rolled him over to look upon his face. What I saw was a man at death's door.

"Julianna…" He whispered, his voice lifting and falling like a gentle breeze.

"What can I do?" I asked, my voice dead with exhaustion and fear. He smiled, showing teeth as green as a treeling. His breath came in ragged gasps that whistled through his teeth.

"There is little that can be. Someone has poisoned my home and thus poisoned me. To cure my physical body would only slow the process. To save this garden and the barriers protecting this city, you must find where the contamination is and stop it." As he spoke his voice grew softer and softer, until my ear was all but pressed to his mouth. Leaned over the way I was, the little bottle of potion around my neck slipped out and bumped off my chin. Suddenly remembering its contents, I hurried to take it off and open the cork. Light poured from the opening, surprising me, but then I was focused again on what was to be done. With no knowledge of how much it would take to heal him, I settled for the smallest amount and let a single drop fall into his mouth. He swallowed immediately, his eyes growing large. For a long time there was no other change, but then he shifted where he lay and lifted his head to better see me. I sat up a little to allow him.

"You freed her?" He asked, then laid his head back and sighed. "You are full of unexpected things, child, but I am not surprised. She needed a mind untainted by the illusions of this world, and that is what you have. Thank you for stopping me from meeting my old friend Death, but, as I said, this has only slowed the process. The poison has to be stopped where it was implanted." His voice was already stronger than the almost inaudible whisper it was a few moments before, and I sat up straight.

"I promise I won't use the potion on myself, and I will tell Da-Prince Darylle right away about the poison." I vowed solemnly. This whole event had left me thread-bare and in pain both emotionally and physically. After all that had happened in the last few days I was close to collapse.

"You are tired." The Keeper said. It was a statement of fact rather than a question. I laughed weakly.

"I'm sure you are more so than I am."

"Yes, I am weary, but you are not accustomed to the burdens that are daily being laid upon your shoulders as I am. Your body is not well equipped to lift the pain and confusion that this world brings you. Come, I will carry you back to your friends. They worry for you." With this the Keeper stood and lifted me in one quick motion. Shocked at his sudden recovery, I didn't think to protest until we were about to step into the far too narrow hallway that was the way back.

"Won't we be too wide?" I squeaked, only to sigh in relief as the wall parted for us.

"Did you run all the way here? You're quite cut up. My friends were not kind to you." He asked, apparently looking at me fully only just now. I shrugged.

"The flowers near my house are dying. I knew I had to get to you fast."

"You are selfless to a fault, child. You will destroy yourself."

"If it is to save those who've been kind to me then it's a fate I'd accept gladly." I replied grimly, and then laughed. "This world has already got me speaking as if I'm from a fantasy novel, but I mean every word."

The Keeper regarded me with calm eyes as he walked, his gaze seeming to peer into my soul. I wondered briefly what he found there, but quickly grew uncomfortable under the relentless scrutiny and looked away. We were already back into the flowers. I could see the dying ones clearly now. They spotted the healthy walls like boils. A fury not unlike the one that had given me the strength to attack the other day boiled in my stomach. I would find the one who'd done this and make him pay.

"Be careful, child. My gift responds to emotion as well as thoughts." The Keeper cautioned. Glancing down, I realized that my right arm was pulsing a dull red and starting to grow spikes. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down and watched as the growth stopped moving and turned green once again.

"As it spends more time with you it will begin to take on a form that reflects your inner self. If you give it too much anger and revenge, it will turn against you and become a curse rather than a gift."

I shook my head and sighed in shame.

"It just infuriates me. There's a new evil attacking me or the people I know every day I'm here. I want there to be piece for a full twenty-four hours!" I said irritably, but with an effort managed to remain calm. The keeper nodded, an expression that held all the sadness of the world in its depths adorning his features.

"We will work together when the time comes. It is all we can do. How it will end depends on which road you choose when the choice is given to you."

"What do you mean?"

The keeper didn't reply, instead sitting me on my feet and melding into the closest wall. Just before he was gone entirely his voice whispered into my ears.

"Such an answer is not mine to give."

"Julianna!" Darylle's voice shouted from behind me, catching my attention immediately. Turning, I saw him run to me from the garden's gate. There was only enough time to send a silent thank you to the Keeper for taking me back before I was crushed in a hug and spun in circles. Dizzy and gasping, I laughed and returned the embrace as we turned. As suddenly as the hug had begun it was over, and I was left standing a few inches away from Dare with a huge grin on my face.

"You're bleeding! Doesn't that hurt?" Dare said in shock, the grin I might have received in return melting into a worried frown. The moment he asked I realized that it did. My whole left arm, neck, face, and parts of my legs were on fire.

"Yes!" I said and then giggled. As much as it hurt it was completely bearable. "I'll be fine! I don't want them healed, ok?" Dare's frown deepened, but he said nothing. Behind him Lorella appeared, winded and looking a strange mixture of relieved and furious. Without a word she marched up to me and slapped me hard. Staggering back a step, I stared at her with open-mouthed shock.

"Don't you ever leave me in the dust like that again! You had me worried sick, and all I could think to do was go find Prince Darylle and beg him to help me find you! Don't you realize that we're in this together? I could have helped! Look at you! The thorns wouldn't have hurt you if you'd had someone they knew with you!" She screamed in my face, then burst into tears and buried her face in her hands. Deeply ashamed and at a loss, I hugged her gently and whispered apologies in her ear.

"I'll never do it again. I promise. Never, ever again."

"What was so important that you ran without checking for Lorella? Why did the Keeper bring you back bleeding?" Darylle asked softly. Still holding my diminutive friend, I gave the whole story and pointed out the blackened spots on the flowers. Here they weren't dead yet, but it was only a matter of time.

"He was right. Someone has poisoned our protective barriers, but there is no telling where they did. To search the entire perimeter would take weeks." Darylle said after a time of studying the dying white rose that had sent me running so frantically hours before.

"I can understand why you did not wait now."

"That doesn't mean it was right of me to. I worried you both."

"Yes, but now that I have the story I see that there was no other choice. If you'd waited on me then the Keeper would have been lost, and the garden and barrier would have followed in a matter of days." Lorella spoke up as she pulled away. Her tears had stopped, but every other word was marred by a tiny hiccup.

"What has happened here?" Prince Jerryd's voice made us all tense. He came to me first and snatched my face up to inspect it. I let him only out of sheer will.

"You are hurt. Why? How is it my brother failed to intervene?"

"If you're quite done," I said coldly as I pulled my chin from his grasp. "Someone has attacked the barrier with some sort of contamination. It is killing the garden and the Keeper as well. I am hurt because I ran to him through thorns. Darylle did not know to be here."

"I see. What has been decided to be done?" He asked briskly, fury flashing in his eyes.

"We were in the process of deciding that. I think the first action should be to tell mother." Dare replied for me. I nodded my agreement.

"Agreed. Let's go then, shall we?" He said more gently and beckoned that we follow. All of us annoyed but seeing no other choice did as he indicated. This man, I decided, was the polar opposite of Dare. He was rude, violent, and quick tempered. Everything he did and said was with a chip on his shoulder as if he found the very presence of other beings insulting. Then I thought back to his visit to my home. He'd been quite different then. Perhaps the man was bipolar? Regardless, it didn't make his much more frequent rudeness forgivable. I prayed that he would not be sent with us should the Empress ask us to go in search of the poison.

Back at the castle everything was going to pieces. The Empress was angry, the Keeper had appeared sickened and with dreadful news, and both of the princes were missing.

"Find them and bring them to me, now!" She ordered. "Bring the human, too! It is high time I told her the real reason I allowed her to live."

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